Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Ukraine will hand 12 T-84 Oplot tanks, developed by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau, to Georgia in October, Verkhovna Rada deputy Valerii Konovaliuk of the Party of Regions faction has announced to the press.

In his words, the state company for export and import of military and special-purpose products and services Ukrspetseksport will deliver the banks to the Georgian side.

The Georgian side has already transferred UAH 45 million of payment for the armour.

The Oplot main battle tank is outfit with a 125mm smoothbore KBA3 gun, a total of 40 rounds of separate loading ammunition (projectile and charge), of which 28 rounds are placed in the automatic loader. It is also equipped wit a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun with ammunition of 450 rounds and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun with ammunition of 1,250 rounds.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev in August criticised Ukraine for supplying arms to Georgia.

In October 2008, Russia assured that Ukraine had been holding lead in supplies of arms to Georgia in 2004-2007.