Estonia hands Ukraine SUVs formerly used to watch border with Russia
Photo: Estonia to give Ukraine a batch of off-road vehicles (Getty Images)
Estonia plans to transfer to Ukraine off-road vehicles previously used by the country's border guards to protect the border with Russia, ERR reports.
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has reportedly purchased 20 new Volkswagen Touareg SUVs worth €2 million, 90 percent of which were EU subsidies, to protect the Estonian-Russian border line and Frontex operations. The new vehicles are significantly quieter and more compact than their predecessors.
The Police and Border Guard Department has been using vehicles in the Southern and Eastern Prefectures that were originally designed to cover difficult terrain. However, with the construction of the Eastern Border, road conditions have improved significantly. Therefore, when purchasing new vehicles, technological innovations were taken into account, which now need to be studied.
"The basic price of the car is not 100 thousand euros, because everything that is installed here manually, which is needed by the border guard - various electronic and mechanical solutions - all this costs money. The old cars will definitely be sent to Ukraine," said Romet Niilus, head of the border at PPA Piusa.
Estonia's aid to Ukraine
Estonia has been providing military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Thus, in March, Ukraine received from Estonia a list of military aid worth €100 million, which includes drones, boats, and medical equipment. Contracts for the purchase of products are already being prepared.
Earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that to strengthen Ukraine's position and increase pressure on Russia, Estonia sent 10,000 artillery rounds and 750,000 food packages for Ukrainian soldiers.
