Russian T-80U tanks may disappear from the Cypriot Armed Forces. Nicosia is looking for a replacement for the vehicles that have long formed the backbone of its tank fleet, and is now considering Israeli Merkava Mk3 or Mk4.

The Cypriot National Guard also rejected the 75–90 Leopard 1A5 tanks offered by Greece after inspecting the stored vehicles. It turned out that the condition and capabilities of these tanks do not meet the requirements of the island nation even as a temporary solution.

For the Cypriot T-80U, the situation is more complicated. Amid sanctions, servicing Russian equipment and obtaining necessary spare parts and ammunition have become significantly more difficult. At the same time, Nicosia is modernizing its armed forces due to ongoing tensions with Turkey.

Recall that Russia supplied T-80U to Cyprus under two contracts – from 1996 to 1997 and from 2010 to 2011. The total value of the deals was estimated at $230 million. In total, the republic has 81 combat vehicles in service.

Earlier it became known that India decided to modernize T-90 series tanks without Russia's participation.