Russia Sends Dozens Of T-72MS Tanks And BRDM-2MS Armored Vehicles, Serbian President: Thank You

President Vladimir Putin with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked Russia for sending military hardware, in particular the T-72MS Tank, on the sidelines of the Army Day armaments exhibition tour.

"We have received this from Russia. (Russian Defense Minister) Sergei Shoigu recently handed over this hardware to us. The hardware was transferred in Nis", President Vucic was quoted as saying by TASS November 17.

"We thank our Russian friends, they have sent us (the material) these tanks (T-72MS), have special protection and the transfer is carried out in Nis", continued Vucic.

During that time, President Vucic asked Serbian tank crews what they thought about Russian armored vehicles.

"This is the best tank in the world", said a Serbian armored corps officer.

Russia handed over 30 T-72MS tanks and 30 BRDM-2MS armored personnel carriers worth 75 million euros to Serbia. President Vucic also said the first batch of Kornet anti-tank missile systems would arrive in Serbia from Russia by the end of this year.

Illustration of a Serbian T-72 Tank. (Wikimedia Commons/Srđan Popović)

To note, from 2018 to February 2020, Russia handed over to Serbia four Russian-made Mi-35M helicopters, six MiG-29 fighter jets, ten BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance, and patrol vehicles, three Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters, and also three Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters. Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system as part of its military and technical assistance to the Balkan States.

Previously, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin had told TASS, the combat potential of the Serbian army was substantially strengthened thanks to military and technical cooperation between Belgrade and Moscow.