UK to send fresh military aid worth $375 mn to Ukraine including electronic war equipment

As the invading Russian troops continue to rummage through Ukrainian towns and cities, UK government on Monday promised to bolster its assistance towards Kyiv, announcing a new military aid package worth $375 million. Speaking to the British Parliament on Tuesday via video call, UK PM Boris Johnson will announce the allotment of the additional tranche later in the day, which will include electronic warfare equipment, in particular, counter-battery radar systems as well night-vision devices, Tass News Agency reported. This comes about two days after PM Johnson spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to set out how the UK will continue to provide military and humanitarian aid" in order to equip Ukrainians with the instruments "they need to defend themselves."

The fresh military aid package comes atop $250 million in the assistance provided to Ukraine since the onset of the war. "The UK will also send in the coming weeks heavy lift systems to provide logistical support to isolated forces and more than a dozen new specialized Toyota Landcruisers to help protect civilian officials in Eastern Ukraine and evacuate civilians from frontline areas, following a request from the Ukrainian government," 10 Downing Street mentioned in a statement, as quoted by Tass.

What military equipment did UK send to Ukraine so far?

Ever since the onset of the invasion on February 24, Britain has provided a barrage of lethal and non-lethal weapons to Ukraine. The tranches shipped to Kyiv included over 5,000 anti-tank missiles, 5 air defence systems, about 4.5 tonnes of explosives and over 1,300 anti-structure ammunition, as reported by the UK Ministry of Defence. Furthermore, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace informed last Monday that for more than a week now, Ukrainian troops are also using Starstreak high-velocity and low-velocity anti-air missiles supplied by the UK. Wallace also stated that the UK will send a "small number" of Stormer armoured vehicles to carry the Starstreak anti-craft missiles. The list of non-lethal equipment supplied by Britain includes over 10 pallets of medical items, 3,000 body armours, nearly 77,000 helmets, and around 3,000 pairs of boots.

'Push Russia out of Ukraine': Liz Truss

UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss last week had urged Western powers to "double down" efforts towards Kyiv, providing them with the heavy weaponry deemed necessary to "push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine." Meanwhile, Britain has been training Ukrainian troops in Poland and facilitating international donor coordination to ensure the delivery of weapons and military assistance to Ukraine.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy spoke with Boris Johnson regarding the deteriorating situation in Mariupol. The leaders deliberated upon the living conditions in the besieged city and shared views on the defensive support for Ukraine. Apart from this, they also mulled over the necessary diplomatic efforts to resolve the full-blown crisis and "achieve peace," Zelenskyy wrote in a Twitter post.

(Image: AP)