Lithuania is considering sending 17 fire engines to Ukraine that were originally intended for Zimbabwe.
According to BNS, Zimbabwe purchased the vehicles from Belarus last year, but they were impounded in Klaipėda, Lithuania, due to sanctions against Belarus.
Lithuania’s Prosecutor General, Nida Grunskienė, said that they are evaluating the possibility of transferring these fire engines to Ukraine, which is currently under attack from Russia. Said Grunskienė:
Yes, a pre-trial investigation is being conducted, and the prosecutor has decided if I’m not mistaken, that the 17 vehicles that were to be shipped to Zimbabwe should be confiscated and the issue of their possible delivery to Ukraine is being considered.
We have a decision by the prosecutor in which we are informing the Zimbabwean prosecutor’s office that these 17 fire engines have been confiscated because the company that manufactured these vehicles is subject to sanctions and Zimbabwe itself is also subject to sanctions.
She said Zimbabwe had also been informed of the decision through diplomatic channels. Added Grunskienė:
We are waiting to see if they will exercise their right to appeal.
Zimbabwe’s attorney general visited Lithuania this year to request the return of the vehicles.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s neighbour Latvia regularly donates cars confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine.
More: Pindula News