According to information published by the Radio Television of Serbia on July 29, 2022, the Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia confirms the donation of its T-72A Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine. On July 30, 2022, a video was published on Social Network showing a convoy of main battle tanks on the way to Ukraine.
According to the military balance, North Macedonia’s armed forces have a total of Soviet-made T-72A Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). Citing information from the Ministry of Defense from North Macedonia, the T-72A donated to Ukraine will be replaced by Western tanks to equip one battalion. The number of T-72A tanks donated to Ukraine was not specified.
North Macedonia formally became NATO’s 30th member on 27 March 2020. A strategic defense review was released in 2018, which set out aims to optimize, reorganize and modernize the armed forces into a small, modern, and flexible force. A 2019–2028 Defense Capability Development Plan (DCDP) consolidated long-term development goals aimed at developing collective defense, cooperative security, and crisis-management capabilities.