PRAGUE, October 2 – Novosti. In Slovakia, 16 self-propelled 155-mm Zuzana 2 howitzers will be manufactured for Ukraine, Germany, Denmark and Norway will take over the financing of the order, the agreement on this was signed on Sunday in Copenhagen by the heads of the defense ministries of Denmark and Slovakia, Bratislava TV channel TA3 reported with reference to the Ministry of Defense of the republic.
“Konštrukta Defense, which is part of the Slovak Defense Ministry, is to manufacture 16 more Zuzana 2 self-propelled 155-mm howitzers for Ukraine. Their production will be financed by Denmark, Germany and Norway, which allocated 92 million euros for this purpose. An agreement on this was signed on Sunday in Copenhagen Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy and his Danish counterpart Morten Bedskov.
Deliveries of howitzers to Ukraine are expected from the second half of 2023.
“Ukraine needs our help in protecting its territory and the lives of its citizens, so we strive to use all the possibilities at the international level to effectively support it,” Nadya TV channel quotes. According to the minister, it is artillery systems that are the key element of combat support in a wide range of military operations.
In August of this year, Slovakia has already delivered four out of eight Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine on the basis of a commercial contract concluded in June.
Zuzana 2 is a new generation self-propelled howitzer built on a TATRA 8×8 wheeled chassis, equipped with a 155 mm cannon with a maximum firing range of 41 km, and a crew of four. The automatic charging system allows for 6 shots per minute.
Russia has previously sent a note to NATO countries because of the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin called its goal “the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” After the liberation of a number of territories, referendums were held in the DPR , LPR , Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on joining Russia. In the DPR, 99.23% were in favor of joining, in the LPR – 98.42%, in the Kherson region – 87.05%, in the Zaporozhye region – 93.11%. On September 30, Putin spoke in the Kremlin following the results of referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, after which he signed agreements with their heads on the admission of regions into Russia.
