Dutch military assistance for Kyiv
A Dutch army soldier with a Panzerfaust 3 grenade launcher. weapon sent to Ukraine in February 2022. Photo by Wikimedia Commons
NATO countries provide the Kyiv regime with various weapons, equipment and other military equipment. The Netherlands has become one of the most active providers of such assistance. Despite their limited capabilities, they sent to Ukraine a fairly wide range of products from their army. Some of the samples provided were of particular importance to Ukrainian formations.
Ground assistance
The Dutch government announced its readiness to help the Kyiv regime as early as the twentieth of February 2022 - just a few days after the start of the Russian Special Operation to demilitarize it. Immediately after this, the first aid package was formed, and in the last days of the month it was sent to Ukraine.
The first delivery included only infantry weapons and other light items. In accordance with the agenda of that period, it was only about “defensive weapons.” The package included 100 sniper rifles and a large amount of ammunition for them, 50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank grenade launchers with 400 rounds, as well as 200 FIM-92 Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. In addition, two diving boats were provided.
At the same time, the top officials of the Netherlands announced their intention to continue supporting the Kyiv regime and provide it with a variety of property, as well as provide other services. Soon such rhetoric began to mention possible supplies of armored vehicles, organization of training for Ukrainian personnel, etc.
Self-propelled gun PzH 2000 of the Dutch army. Photo by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense
In mid-April, a decision was made in Amsterdam to transfer German-made PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. The first batch of such equipment, consisting of five vehicles, was handed over to the Kyiv regime no later than mid-June. Another seven self-propelled guns were provided by Germany at the same time; it also took over the supply of ammunition and spare parts, crew training, etc. After the shipment of the first batch of PzH 2000, the Netherlands decided to transfer three more such vehicles.
At that time, the Kiev regime perceived the PzH 2000 as a “miracle weapon” capable of changing the course of battles. With such expectations, its formations immediately began to actively use imported self-propelled guns, incl. without following instructions and recommendations. Because of this, a number of machines broke down and needed repairs. In addition, PzH 2000 repeatedly came under attack from Russian artillery and aviation. It is unknown which of the damaged self-propelled guns came from the Netherlands.
In June, the delivery of armored vehicles for infantry was announced. It was planned to send YPR-765 armored personnel carriers in storage to Ukraine. The quantity of this equipment was not specified at that time. Foreign media suggested the shipment of dozens of vehicles, while Ukrainian propaganda wrote about 300 units. Only in the spring of 2023 did it become known that a total of less than 200 armored personnel carriers had been delivered.
A pair of YPR-765 armored personnel carriers in Ukraine. Photo Telegram / BMPD
Deliveries of YPR-765 began in the second half of last summer. Soon the equipment reached the front and suffered its first losses. At the same time, the first Dutch armored personnel carriers became trophies of the Russian army. Subsequently, the list of such losses of Ukrainian formations constantly grew.
Bold plans
Official Amsterdam intends to continue to help the Kyiv regime with the supply of various products and means. So, at the beginning of 2023, he joined the NATO “tank coalition" - a group of countries that planned to transfer modern Western-style MBTs to Ukraine. At the same time, the Dutch army was not considered as a direct supplier of equipment.
In April, plans for tanks were clarified. It has been announced that the Netherlands and Denmark will buy a company-mounted set of German Leopard 2A4 MBTs from an unnamed third country. They will also pay for the modernization of 14 purchased armored vehicles and then send them to Ukraine. For various reasons, the implementation of such a plan should take several months. The tanks will be sent to the recipient only next year.
In July, they announced a similar plan for the purchase of obsolete Leopard 1 tanks. This time, the Netherlands will join forces with Denmark and Germany. As a result of their joint work, the Kiev regime will be able to receive a hundred tanks.
One of the few Dutch Leopard 2 MBTs. Photo by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense
In the summer of 2023, a “fighter coalition” was also formed - the countries from it are going to transfer American-made F-16 aircraft to the Kyiv regime. The Netherlands is participating in this process along with other NATO members. In August, they received permission from the United States to re-export fighters of one of the older modifications in service. According to foreign media reports, the transfer of 42 aircraft is possible.
It is assumed that the first Dutch F-16s can be transferred to Ukraine before the end of this year. However, delivery of the entire planned batch will be completed only in 2024. While preparatory activities continue, the Netherlands intends to participate in the training of Ukrainian flight and technical personnel.
Supply potential
The armed forces of the Netherlands are not distinguished by their large numbers and the size of their weapons and equipment fleet. As a result, the allocation of any significant assistance can significantly affect the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the army itself and its combat effectiveness. To avoid negative consequences, the Dutch army allocated mainly limited amounts of equipment to Ukraine, but this also affected its potential.
The Dutch ground forces currently have only 18 Leopard 2 tanks in service. It is noteworthy that this equipment was leased from Germany and is operated by the joint Dutch-German 414th tank battalion. Because of this, official Amsterdam was unable to provide its tanks to the Kyiv regime. Instead, he had to buy them from a third country, joining forces with Denmark.
Leopard 1 is another option to help Ukraine. Photo by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense
At the beginning of the 57s, the Dutch artillery received 2000 German-made PzH 2022 self-propelled guns. As of the beginning of 18, there were only 6 vehicles of this type in combat units, and another 33 were in training units. The remaining 8 were put into reserve. Ukraine was given 14 self-propelled guns – 40% of the total number of available equipment or more than XNUMX% of the active fleet. Even if self-propelled guns have been shipped from storage, abandoning such a quantity of equipment can have negative consequences.
At the moment, the Dutch Air Force's tactical aviation includes 42 legacy F-16AM/BM fighters and 28 modern F-35A fighters. According to foreign press reports, all older model aircraft will be sent to Ukraine in the foreseeable future, and only the latest generation fighters will remain in service.
The consequences of abandoning the F-16 are controversial. These aircraft make up 60% of the tactical aircraft fleet, and their decommissioning will lead to a sharp reduction in the air force. On the other hand, we are talking about old aircraft, which are inferior to the modern F-35A in all major capabilities. Apparently, the command studied this problem and made an informed decision.
Against the backdrop of all such deliveries and plans, the shipment of YPR-765 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine looks interesting. In the past, such armored personnel carriers formed the basis of the Dutch infantry armored vehicle fleet, but they have long been abandoned. About 2 thousand armored personnel carriers were sent for storage, and less than a hundred standardized special-purpose vehicles remained in service.
A pair of Dutch Air Force F-16s over the Baltic Sea. Photo by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense
The YPR-765 armored personnel carrier version is no longer needed by the Dutch army, and they were quietly abandoned. About two hundred of these vehicles were transferred to the Kyiv regime, and the continuation of such deliveries cannot be ruled out. At the same time, the ground forces themselves will continue to operate modern armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles of the CV 90 and Boxer families. Most likely, this equipment will not be transferred to Ukraine in the future.
Deliveries with consequences
Since last year, the Netherlands has been actively supporting the Kiev regime and regularly transfers various weapons, equipment and materiel to it. At the same time, they face objective limitations in the form of the small size of their own army, its parks and reserves. As a result, Amsterdam in most cases cannot transfer a large number of modern military vehicles and weapons.
The only exceptions are obsolete models that have been withdrawn from service or are planned for decommissioning. However, this potential for assistance to Ukraine is not endless. If there is still a solid supply of obsolete armored personnel carriers, then all the old fighters can be given away in one or two batches.
Thus, the Netherlands still retains the desire to assist the Kyiv regime and is even making new supply plans, but its capabilities in this context are constantly decreasing. In the foreseeable future, they will simply deplete available supplies of materiel that could be given away without harm to their armed forces. Time will tell how this problem will be resolved.
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