Slovenia has sent 20 six-wheeled light armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, primarily designed to transport troops, and armed with 40mm cannons and 12.7mm machine guns, according to a report by 24ur.com.

This is the latest shipment of arms after Slovenia has already donated tanks, howitzers, infantry vehicles and other gear.

They had been in service with the Slovenian Armed Forces for over two decades and represented the newest weaponry that Slovenia donated to Ukraine.

The vehicles were made in the 1990s by a Slovenian company on licence from the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge, which is now part of the US defence contractor General Dynamics European Land Systems.

The report, released on Wednesday, says the delivery was made in complete secrecy, and the vehicles were shipped to Ukraine with transport aircraft via either Poland or Slovakia. The operation was completed this week.

The Defence Ministry neither confirmed nor denied the report, invoking a government decision stipulating that data on Slovenian military aid to Ukraine are confidential.

Slovenia has previously donated 28 Yugoslav-made M55S, 35 Yugoslav-made M80A tracked infantry vehicles, 20 HMMWV Humvees, 16 M2A1 howitzers and significant amounts of other arms and equipment.

(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)

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