German depot revives vintage tanks amid Ukraine crisis
Satellite photos show not only Russian but also German weapon depots. One of these has attracted the attention of an OSINT analyst. The German depot displays hundreds of older armoured vehicles that, according to photo analysis, are undergoing intensive refurbishment.
The satellite images from one of the German weapon depots show at least 90 Leopard 1 tanks, over 100 Gepard anti-aircraft systems, and 130 Marder 1 infantry fighting vehicles. As the photos document, intensive work has commenced on the collected equipment since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
An OSINT analyst who runs the Just BeCause profile on the X platform publicized the contents of the large weapon depot. Hundreds of different armoured vehicles are gathered on an area of about 5.7 hectares near the town of Rockensußra in German Thuringia.
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.
What caught the analyst's attention was not the mere fact of the large depot and dismantling centre, but the changes that occurred there following the Russian attack on Ukraine. On the site of the depot, where rows of military equipment previously stood openly, a hall with an area of 4,600 square metres was quickly 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 the 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 likely 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 significant aid to Ukraine.
