Estonia delivers 2400 Soviet-made 9mm Makarov pistols to Ukraine.

According to information published by the Estonian MoD (Ministry of Defense) on July 7, 2020, the Ministry of Defence of Estonia sent a shipment of 2,400 9mm Makarov pistols from Estonia to Ukraine, in order to support the strengthening of Ukraine’s independent defense capabilities.
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Soviet-made Makarov 9mm pistol. (Picture source Estonia MoD)

According to Minister of Defence Jüri Luik, Estonia firmly and steadfastly supports Ukraine – the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be restored. "In addition to political support and development aid, it is also important to provide real support for Ukraine’s independent defence capability. ‘In addition to donating weapons, Estonia is supporting Ukraine in the training of special forces and in the field of military medicine, and is sharing experience in the fields of territorial and cyber defence", added Jüri Luik.

Luik emphasized that regardless of the complicated situation in the country, Ukraine has continued to implement important reforms, which is noteworthy.

Major Risto Pärtel, Chief of Ordnance at the Estonian Defence Forces, said that the Estonian Defence Forces were able to donate the weapons because they switched over to the standard NATO caliber. In terms of its construction, the Makarov is compact, reliable and easy to use, and will definitely add an important component to the armaments of the Ukrainians, added Chief of Ordnance Pärtel.

The Makarov pistol or PM (Russian: Пистолет Макарова, Pistolet Makarova, literally Makarov's Pistol) is a Soviet-made 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The PM is a medium-size, straight-blowback-action, all-steel construction, frame-fixed barrel handgun. In blowback designs, the only force holding the slide closed is that of the recoil spring; upon firing, the barrel and slide do not have to unlock, as do locked-breech-design pistols. Blowback designs are simple and more accurate than designs using a recoiling, tilting, or articulated barrel, but they are limited practically by the weight of the slide. The 9×18mm cartridge is a practical cartridge in blowback-operated pistols; producing a respectable level of energy from a gun of moderate weight and size.