Croatia confirms transfer of M-84 tanks to Germany for delivery to Ukraine.

Croatia has already transferred M-84 main battle tanks and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Germany for direct delivery to Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković confirmed on December 10, 2025.

During a press conference on December 10, 2025, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković confirmed that Croatia has already transferred its M-84 main battle tanks and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Germany for direct delivery to Ukraine. The statement was made during a press conference formalizing Croatia’s Leopard 2A8 procurement agreement with Germany. Officials said the vehicles are no longer subject to administrative procedures in Croatia.
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The Croatian M-84A4 Snajper tank possesses an improved fire control and observation system, with the DBR-84 ballistic computer working in conjunction with the SCS-84 all-weather day-night infrared gunner sight. (Picture source: Croatian MoD)

Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that Croatia has already transferred its M-84 main battle tanks and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Germany so they can be forwarded directly to Ukraine. He explained that the vehicles are no longer awaiting administrative steps in Croatia and are physically in Germany, allowing a direct and faster handover to Ukrainian forces. In the same remarks, the Croatian leadership contrasted the outgoing M-84 fleet with the Leopard 2A8 that Croatia is set to receive in the coming years, describing the Leopard as a fundamentally different tank in terms of protection philosophy, digital integration, and NATO-standard systems rather than an incremental evolution of the Yugoslav-era tank. The remarks were made during a press conference held to formalize Croatia’s Leopard 2 agreement with Germany, which includes 50 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks for an estimated total value of about €1.5 billion.

This statement reflects a process that has been developing over several years, shaped by Croatia’s dual objectives of supporting Ukraine militarily and replacing its own legacy heavy equipment. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Croatia began assessing which parts of its inventory could be transferred without undermining national defense, while at the same time accelerating plans to exit dependence on vehicles derived from former Yugoslav and Soviet lineages. By late 2024, Zagreb and Berlin aligned these objectives through an arrangement under which Croatia would release M-84 tanks and M-80 IFVs for Ukraine, while Germany would provide financial and industrial support linked to Croatia’s entry into the Leopard 2 user group, which also included the delivery of Leopard 2A4HRVs. This approach allowed Croatia to convert aging armored assets into both immediate military assistance and longer-term modernization capital.

The M-84 main battle tank occupies a central place in this exchange because it has long been the backbone of Croatia’s armored forces. Croatia inherited the M-84 fleet after the breakup of Yugoslavia, with the original Yugoslav production itself being a licensed development of the Soviet T-72M1 adapted to local industry. Over time, Croatia maintained and upgraded these tanks rather than replacing them, largely due to budgetary constraints and the availability of domestic overhaul capacity. Previous figures concerning the transfer to Ukraine indicated that 30 M-84 tanks are included in the package sent to Germany, as part of a combined batch of 30 tanks and 30 M-80 IFVs with spare parts and ammunition valued at €144,800,000.

The Croatian M-84 fleet underwent a defined modernization path that culminated in the M-84A4 Snajper standard. By 2008, this upgrade had been applied across the fleet, and by 2023, most vehicles had received additional repairs and communications updates to keep them operational. The M-84A4 configuration emphasizes fire control accuracy and mobility, integrating the DBR-84 ballistic computer with the SCS-84 day-night infrared gunner sight, and improving turret rotation and gun elevation mechanisms. Propulsion is provided by the V46-TK diesel engine rated at 1,000 hp, supporting mobility comparable to other T-72 family derivatives. However, the modernization did not fundamentally alter the protection scheme, as it did not include the addition of reactive armor or new modular protection packages, leaving armor protection broadly aligned with T-72M1 and T-72A standards.

The M-80 infantry fighting vehicle forms the second major component of the transfer and serves a different operational role. Often confused with Soviet BMPs, the M-80 is an original Yugoslav design developed in the 1970s and entered service in 1979, with approximately 1,000 units produced before Yugoslavia’s dissolution. The vehicle is amphibious and powered by a German-licensed Daimler-Benz diesel engine rated at about 320 hp, providing modest mobility for a tracked IFV of its era. Its primary armament is the HS.804, also known as the M-55, a 20 mm automatic cannon with a cited rate of fire of up to 1,000 rounds per minute, supplemented by secondary weapons depending on configuration. For Ukraine, the relevance of the M-80 lies in the fact that similar vehicles from other donors are already in service, easing training and logistics despite the platform’s relatively light protection.

The transfer of M-84 tanks and M-80 IFVs fits into a broader pattern of Croatian military assistance to Ukraine that has expanded steadily since 2022. By November 2025, Croatia had announced 15 aid packages, with 14 described as fully delivered and valued at more than $212 million. This assistance has included 14 Mi-8 helicopters delivered in 2023, 2 An-32B transport aircraft, artillery systems such as M-46 field guns and D-30 howitzers, RAK-SA-12 128 mm multiple rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, MANPADS including Strela-2 and Igla systems, tens of thousands of small arms, large quantities of ammunition, and protective equipment. Croatia has also signaled longer-term cooperation through a letter of intent signed on October 27, 2025, aimed at expanding joint arms production with Ukraine. Within this broader framework, the armored vehicle transfer represents one of Croatia’s most substantial contributions of heavy equipment, while also marking a decisive step away from its Yugoslav-era armored inventory.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.