German depot gears up: Refurbished tanks to aid Ukraine
Satellite photos reveal not only Russian but also German weapon depots. One of them caught the attention of an OSINT analyst. The German depot displays hundreds of older armoured vehicles, which, according to photo analysis, are undergoing intensive refurbishment.
At least 90 Leopard 1 tanks, over 100 Gepard anti-aircraft systems, and 130 Marder 1 infantry fighting vehicles. This impressive equipment list is visible in the satellite images from one of the German weapon depots. Following Russia's attack on Ukraine, intensive work on the gathered equipment commenced, as documented in the photos.
The contents of the large weapon depot were publicised by an OSINT analyst who runs the Just BeCause profile on the X platform. On an area of 5.7 hectares near the town of Rockensußra in German Thuringia, hundreds of different armoured vehicles are gathered.
The existence of the depot is no secret – in Rockensußra, there is a military vehicle dismantling facility currently owned by the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann corporation. Since the end of the Cold War, more than 16,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other equipment have been dismantled there.
See also: Is it NATO equipment or Russian?
What caught the analyst's attention was not merely the large depot and dismantling centre, but the changes that occurred there following the Russian attack on Ukraine. At the depot, where rows of military equipment previously stood openly, a hall with an area of 4,600 square metres was rapidly constructed.
The visible parts of vehicles around it suggest that the equipment is not being dismantled under the roof but repaired, with work being conducted on a large scale. The size of the hall allows for simultaneous repair of 8-10 vehicles.
The photos also show that more vehicles are arriving at the depot and are now, unlike in previous years, being covered with uniform blue tarpaulins.
The purpose of the refurbished equipment is unknown, but it can be assumed that Rockensußra is restoring the operability of old vehicles before sending them to Ukraine.
As noted by the Ukrainian service Defence Express, not every unit can probably be repaired, and some may be used as donors for spare parts. Despite this, restoring and delivering even a portion of the hundreds of collected vehicles will be a significant aid to Ukraine.
