Italy sends more than 20 M109L howitzers to Kiev: Italian media
In the city of Udine, eyewitnesses capture footage of military equipment making its way out of the Italian railway system heading to Ukraine.
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M109A6 self-propelled howitzers being utilized in a drill of the US Army in Pocheon, South Korea, 10 March 2016. (Reuters)
Italy is sending more than 20 M109L self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, according to an Italian media report. The report was supplemented by footage shot by eyewitnesses present at a railway station in Udine in northeast Italy.
The video shows upwards of 20 armored vehicles mounted on special transport wagons attached to a train, according to the Repubblica and Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The newspaper identified the cargo as 155 mm M109L self-propelled howitzers with no insignia or identification numbers.
In Italy, a train stuffed with M109L 155-mm self-propelled howitzers were seen heading.. somewhere. Italy usually does not disclose its aid supplied to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/HRHrjPvCdj
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) April 15, 2023
Luca Ciriani, Italian minister of parliamentary relations, confirmed to Rai News 24 that the weapons were indeed on their way to Ukraine.
According to the official, these howitzers are part of a military assistance package agreed to by the administration of former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, which was in charge until October 2022.
The West has supplied Ukraine with various high-tech military equipment including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and anti-aircraft guns.
The Italian parliament approved a government decree in January that allowed for continuous military aid to Ukraine in 2023.
Following the legislation, the government approved a sixth package of military aid to Kiev.
The weapons to be sent to Ukraine are classified, however, Italian media has speculated that the packages include air defense systems and drones, while earlier packages featured armored vehicles and artillery equipment.
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