US sends 5,000 Javelin missile systems, 50 million rounds of ammo to Ukraine

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its day 44th day on Friday, April 8, US Defense Department has disclosed the list of weapons that were sent to Ukraine. According to the announcement, the Biden administration has sent at least 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems; more than 5,000 Javelin anti-armour systems; more than 7,000 small arms; and 50 million rounds of ammunition to the war-torn country. US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, who took to his microblogging site on Thursday evening, said that the US has committed over $1.7billion in security assistance to Ukraine. He affirmed that the Biden administration will continue to work around the clock to fulfil Ukraine’s priority security assistance request.

In the list included with the Twitter post, Austin claimed that the US has also delivered 45,000 sets of body armour and helmets; laser-guided rocket systems; night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, more than 7,000 other anti-armour systems, hundreds of Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems; over 50,000,000 rounds of ammunition, Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems, and commercial satellite imagery services to the Ukrainian military. He affirmed that the administration was working to send further military aid to Ukraine.

 US sends 100 Switchblade Drones to Kyiv

Earlier, the Biden administration sent at least 100 switchblade drones to the Ukrainian military, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said during a press conference on Wednesday. Also, Kirby said that the US defence officials trained some of the Ukrainian soldiers, who have been in Washington since the fall in professional military education programs, on weapons systems that are new to them. He said that the trained Ukrainian soldiers will assist others after returning to the battlefield in Ukraine. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden approved $100 million worth of military assistance to Ukraine. While speaking about the military aid, Kirby said that the amount will be spent on the transfer of the Javelin anti-armour missiles to the war-torn country. 

Russia-Ukraine war enters day 44

Notably, Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a televised address to the nation, warned that Russian withdrawals from the north and centre of the country were just a "military tactic" to build up forces for new powerful attacks in the southeast. He appealed to his Russian counterpart to end the war immediately but added that he would not let the Russian forces take a single piece of Ukrainian land.   

Image: AP/Pixabay