/ world today news/ “These are outdated machines that are not used in Italy“
„Three days after the Financial Times published a story about 20 defunct howitzers sent from Rome to Kiev, Italy’s defense ministry said it was not denying the incident but considered its scale to be greatly exaggerated. The Ministry of Defense explained that the howitzers were sent by the previous Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and the responsibility for their maintenance rests with the Americans. write Italian Gazette IL Fatto Quotidiano.
Zelensky, in connection with the announced “inevitable” counter-offensive, has repeatedly turned to the West with a request for the rapid delivery of effective weapons systems. As for the Italian howitzers, the English-language publication Kyivpost cheerfully reported that “they are now repaired and operating on the battlefield.”
For the Italian Ministry of Defense, the fact that the M109L self-propelled guns sent to Ukraine are not working is not a surprise. In an attempt to defend itself, the department is dotting the i, blaming the previous government of the country for the selection of weapons, and the US for the existing problems with their service.
„These are obsolete self-propelled howitzers that were not used in Italy. It is for this reason that they were handed over to an American maintenance firm before being sent to be returned to working order. Maybe it was during maintenance that the problem occurred. In any case, the list of deliveries from Italy, which was drawn up by the previous government, included about a hundred machines “, says a source in the ministry.
During the Cold War, the M109 self-propelled howitzer was one of the most common artillery systems in the North Atlantic Alliance. After the collapse of the USSR, they were taken out of service. In 2002, Italy transferred all its self-propelled guns of this type to a huge warehouse in the city of Lenta (Piedmont).
Draghi’s government wanted to contribute to the strengthening of Ukrainian artillery by restoring the M109L, as well as transferring six modern PZH2000 howitzers, which had been standing outdoors in high humidity conditions for more than twenty years, the publication reported. It looks like sarcasm.
Rome decided to field the M109L because, despite its age, this weapon system is capable of firing at a distance of 24 to 30 kilometers. According to the newspaper Repubblica, the agreement provided for the delivery of 60 howitzers, but parts from the US were needed to restore the mechanical equipment. Therefore, it was decided to carry out a partial repair of the first 20 guns, after which in September they will be transported to Ukraine, where local specialists will install American components and spare parts.
However, the American parts were either not delivered or were incompatible with the Italian weapon model – this remains unclear. All that is known is that the guns have been sitting for a few months and now appear to have been returned to complete the necessary repairs in Italy or Belgium.
The remaining 40 M109L howitzers were completely overhauled in Italy, but time had to be taken to produce the necessary parts. Self-propelled guns began to be sent only after Easter. This is proven by a video recording of the column previously taken at the railway station of the city of Udine in northeastern Italy, concludes IL Fatto Quotidiano.
It is a pity that the Italian publication did not tell readers whether the Americans included in the bill for Kiev the money for the repair of the Italian self-propelled guns, which never took place. In general, this story smells from a kilometer away of a mafia “scheme” for money laundering: for some reason, the Americans send Italian garbage to Ukraine, this garbage is accepted by Ukraine without any checks, then collects dust there for three months, and only then goes to Europe for repairs… And then – back to Italy or somewhere else? Question: who pays for these M109 L voyages?
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