By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
The Netherlands was one of the first
countries in Europe to pledge meaningful military aid to Ukraine as Russia began the build-up of its military forces along the border with Ukraine. Days after Russia commenced its invasion of the country on the 24th of February 2022, further military aid that included 50 FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS launchers with 200 missiles and
50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank weapons along with 400 rockets was quickly
announced. Not much later, the Dutch Ministry of Defence declared it would no longer provide details on arms deliveries to Ukraine. [1]
Nevertheless, it is certain that the flow of military aid to Ukraine has continued unimpeded, with details of additional weapons shipments that included reconnaissance UAVs and even AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (AShMs) finding their way to the public sphere on more than one occasion. In April 2022 it was announced by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
that the Netherlands would commence delivering heavy weaponry, including
eight PzH 2000 self-propelled guns (SPGs) and an unknown number of YPR-765 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), to Ukraine as well. By mid-November 2022, the volume of military aid
provided by the Netherlands to Ukraine was €442 million. [2]
The YPR-765 APCs entered service with Ukraine's newly-established mechanised brigades for use in future offensive actions throughout Russian-occupied Ukraine. This use would occur on the 29th of August 2022 when the Ukrainian Army launched an offensive to retake parts of the Kherson Region. The YPR-765 APCs act as the primary means of transportation for Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the region along with BMC Kirpi MRAPs provided by Türkiye. Tasked with the dangerous job of transporting infantry across wide open plains closer to Russian positions, 13 YPR-765s participating in the offensive are known to have been lost so far (as of December 2022). [3]
![]() |
Ukrainian soldiers and Dutch-delivered YPR-765s attempt to advance in the Kherson Region while under Russian artillery fire. |
![]() |
One of the ambulances delivered by Zeilen van Vrijheid that received a military camouflage pattern after its arrival in Ukraine. |
A case could also be made for the transfer of 155mm FH-70 towed howitzers. Originally acquired as a batch of
fifteen in 1990 to help keep Dutch artillerymen current while their M114
howitzers were undergoing upgrading, these guns eventually saw use
until 2001, when they were stored and later put up for sale. Already a
relatively dated design at that time, no buyer for them was ever found.
The FH-70s can fire all European and U.S. 155mm rounds, and small numbers of FH-70s have already been provided to Ukraine by Estonia and Italy
(which both still operate the FH-70). [6]
![]() |
A PzH 2000 SPG in Ukraine. |
The
following list attempts to keep track of military equipment
delivered or pledged to Ukraine by the Netherlands shortly prior to and during the 2022 Russian invasion of
Ukraine. The entries below are sorted by armament category (with a flag
denoting the country of origin), and due to the confidential nature of
some arms deliveries they can serve only as a lower bound to the total
volume delivered. This list will be updated as further military support is uncovered.
(Click
on the equipment type or vehicle to get a picture or source link)
Anti-Ship Missiles (AShMs)
AGM-84 Harpoon (Missiles) [June 2022]
Air Defence Systems
2 Patriot Launchers [To be delivered]
€15 Million Worth Of AIM-120 AMRAAMs (For NASAMS II) [November 2022]
Self-Propelled Artillery
8 155mm PzH 2000s [April 2022. Training completed in May 2022. Arrived to Ukraine from June 2022 onwards]
Tanks
45 T-72EAs [To be delivered] (Purchased by the Netherlands from Czechia, upgraded and delivered to Ukraine)
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs)
''Several dozen'' YPR-765s [May 2022]
Vehicles
DAF YA-4442 '4-tonner' Trucks [Delivered from November 2022 onwards]
DAF YAZ-2300 '10-tonner' Trucks [Delivered from November 2022 onwards]
Heavy Mortars
6 120mm MO-120-HBs [November 2022]
Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS)
50 FIM-92 Stinger Launchers [Delivered from March 2022 onwards]
Reconnaissance UAVs
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [April or May 2022]
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
2 SeaFox Autonomous Mine-Detecting Underwater Vehicles [March or April 2022]
Radars
5 AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder Weapon-Locating Radars [Delivered from April 2022 onwards]
2 Thales Squire Ground Surveillance Radars [Delivered from April 2022 onwards]
Small Arms
50 Panzerfaust 3 RPGs [Delivered from March 2022 onwards]
10 Barrett M82 .50 BMG Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifles [March 2022]
90 Accuracy International AX308 Sniper Rifles [March 2022]
C7A1 Assault Rifles [Before September 2022]
Ammunition
50 DM72A1 (PzF 3-IT) Rounds For Panzerfaust 3 [March 2022]
200 Stinger Missiles [April 2022]
30.000 Rounds Of 7.62mm And 12.7mm Ammunition [March 2022] (For AX408 and M82 sniper and anti-materiel rifles)
Patriot Missiles [To be delivered]
Miscellaneous Equipment
3000 Gevechtshelm Composiet M95 Helmets [March or April 2022]
STRONG Helmets [June 2022]
2000 Flack Jackets [March or April 2022 and June 2022]
30 Hand-Held Mine Detectors [March 2022]
1 Field Hospital [To be delivered] (In cooperation with Estonia and Norway)
[1] Beyond The Call - Dutch Arms Deliveries To Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/04/beyond-call-dutch-arms-deliveries-to.html
[2] Wat doet Nederland? Van dag tot dag https://www.defensie.nl/onderwerpen/oostflank-navo-gebied/wat-doet-nederland
[3] Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-ukrainian.html
[4] Zeilen van Vrijheid | Амстердамська ТрО https://twitter.com/zeilen_vrijheid
[5] Arms For Ukraine: French Weapons Deliveries To Kyiv https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/07/arms-for-ukraine-french-weapon.html
[6] Answering The Call: Heavy Weaponry Supplied To Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/04/answering-call-heavy-weaponry-supplied.html
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