The United Kingdom has announced it will provide 650 missiles to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses, reinforcing its commitment to supporting Ukraine amidst ongoing conflict.
According to a press release from the UK Defense Ministry on Friday, Kiev will be receiving Martlet multirole missiles worth £162 million ($213 million) from London. The first shipment is expected to arrive by the end of this year.
Russia has been advancing in Donbass by striking the Ukrainian military, industrial and energy sectors for two weeks prior to this.
According to a press release, this announcement follows a meeting between UK Defense Secretary John Healey and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov earlier in the week. The statement states that £300 million worth of artillery ammunition as well as 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) systems are set to be delivered by the UK with initial shipments arriving at the end of 2024.
Germany’s Kiel Institute reports that since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Ukraine has received over €8.92 billion in military aid from one of its major backers, the UK.
In a recent address, Zelensky expressed his criticism towards the UK for their slow pace in providing weaponry. He insisted on the need for bold decisions and steps to be taken.
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According to Healey, delivering LMM missiles is aimed at enhancing Kiev’s air defenses in response to Russian strikes on Poltava this week.
On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry announced that two Iskander ballistic missiles were launched into “the 179th Joint Training Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” resulting in Moscow’s deadliest attack this year. The center was being utilized by foreign instructors who were training Ukrainian communication and electronic warfare specialists, as well as drone operators at the time of strike. As per reports from Ukrainian officials, over 55 individuals died while more than three hundred and twenty people suffered injuries due to this assault.
During the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin emphasized that Russia’s military targets are solely limited to those belonging to opposing forces. He accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions against innocent civilians. In addition,Peskov claimed that Russian strikes have been successful at targeting foreign military instructors and mercenaries operating within Ukrainian borders. He also made mention of evidence indicating direct involvement from external nations in this ongoing conflict.
The Russian government has cautioned that providing weapons from the West to Ukraine and instructing its military personnel with foreign instructors would implicate Kiev’s supporters as direct participants in the conflict. Russia predicts an escalation of fatalities, not a change in the course of combat if weapon deliveries continue.
