On 12 June, Lithuania approved the transfer of 14 M113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine’s military this week to strengthen its demining capabilities, the Lithuanian National Defense Ministry announced.
The M113, a US-developed fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC), was produced from 1961 to 2007. Lithuania’s Defense Ministry did not specify the modifications of the M113s transferred. In April, Lithuania provided Ukraine with M577 command post vehicles based on the M113 chassis.
The armored vehicles are being provided as nonreimbursable assistance through the Ukrainian Demining Coalition co-led by Lithuania and Iceland. The coalition aims at coordinating existing and future support from donor countries to Ukraine, both in the areas of combat and humanitarian mine-clearance. Representatives of 25 countries attended the coalition’s first meeting this January.
“The transfer of the M113 armored personnel carriers was initiated by the Ministry of National Defense and the Lithuanian Armed Forces in response to a request from the Ukrainian Government to its allies to assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces in repelling Russian aggression,” the Ministry noted.
On 13 June, Lithuanian National Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas will attend the Ramstein format Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting and the NATO-Ukraine Council session in Brussels. These meetings will discuss Ukraine’s military assistance needs, present the latest allied support plans, and prepare for the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington D.C. in July.
Lithuania stands as one of Ukraine’s strongest allies against Russian aggression, contributing aid equal to 1.5% of its GDP, with an additional 0.5% towards EU support. In total, Lithuania has provided over €1 billion in government assistance, while grassroots initiatives have raised tens of millions more for military and humanitarian support, including a Bayraktar drone, anti-drone systems, radars, and generators for Ukraine’s army and civilians.
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