Morocco’s Soviet-Era Tanks Sent to Ukraine Without Kingdom’s Knowledge

Contrary to the information disseminated by the international media, Morocco did not directly deliver weapons to Ukraine. The delivery was made without its knowledge. Morocco’s acquisition of 150 T-72B tanks from Belarus dates back to 1999-2000. In total, 130 tanks were shipped to the Czech Republic for modernization as part of a contract with the Czech company Excalibur Army. But Morocco only received 56. There were therefore 74 tanks left in the Czech Republic, 20 of which were transferred to Ukraine in violation of the contract. So, without the effective agreement of Rabat. Enough to annoy Russia.

"We consider this flagrant example as another proof of the hostile anti-Russian policy pursued by the Czech authorities, in the framework of which Prague does not hesitate to violate the basic norms of international law governing the arms trade and to seize the property of others," said Maria Zakharova, the official spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to her, history is repeating itself. "History is repeating itself with the sad memory of World War II, when Czech companies, as part of Nazi Germany’s military-industrial complex, constantly supplied weapons to the Third Reich for the war against the USSR," she added.