UK sent Ukraine weapons worth over Rs 12,000 Cr since war began in Feb: Report

In a bid to help Ukraine to fight the Russian aggression, the British government has supplied weapons to the war-torn nation, further enabling them to protect their sovereignty and territory from Russian bombardment. According to a BBC report, thousands of Ukrainian frontline soldiers are currently armed with missiles and other equipment provided by the United Kingdom.  

Since the crisis between Moscow and Kyiv began on February 24, the Boris Johnson-led government has consistently expressed sympathy, support, and compassion for Ukraine and its people. The British Prime Minister has always campaigned for more weapons and anti-ship missiles for Ukraine as part of the aid package for the country. The government claims to be spending £1.3 billion (Rs 12,000 crore) on military assistance to Ukraine. Furthermore, recently, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had revealed that Ukraine would get M270 multiple-launch rocket systems on June 6 along with M31A1 precision weapons. 

Weapons provided by the UK to Ukraine 

Anti-tank weapons 

Over 5,000 next-gen light anti-tank weapons, or Nlaw, have been given to Ukraine by the United Kingdom. Nlaws which cover a range of 20-800m is designed to wreck tanks with a single shot at close range. These missiles are easily transportable and easy to employ, which is important for Ukraine's military forces, who want weaponry straight away. In less than a day, a soldier may be trained to utilise them. 

Long-range rockets 

M270 launchers have a range of 50 kilometres and can fire precision-guided rockets. Ukrainian military would be taught how to operate the weapons in the UK, according to the administration. 

Short-range missiles 

As per Captain Chris Carlson, a former United States Navy officer, brimstones may be utilised against tanks, artillery, as well as some smaller boats, like landing craft. Usually, missiles are launched from planes, but in Ukraine, they are being altered to be launched from trucks. On April 28, Defence Minister James Heappey acknowledged the deployment of "hundreds" of Brimstone missiles to Ukraine. 

Armoured vehicles  

Ukraine has received approximately 120 armoured vehicles, which includes Mastiff patrol vehicles, from the United Kingdom. Mastiffs were prominent among British troops in Afghanistan because they offer excellent protection from landmines and improvised explosive devices. 

Drones 

The British Ministry of Defence said it is sending "dozens" of heavy-lift unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems to isolated soldiers to offer logistical assistance. The ‘Malloy T150 heavy-lift drone’ which is controlled by a single soldier with a laptop and tablet, is used to transport medicine, food or even ammunition supplies. 

Air defence systems 

The UK governement has announced the donation of five air defence systems, including Starstreak missiles. Starstreak is a short-range missile designed to bring down low-flying aircraft. It dismisses countermeasures like flares and chaff used by many planes.  

Stromer HVM 

The Stromer HVM which has a speed of 80km/hr, is a mobile platform for starstreak missiles.  

Other military equipment provided to Ukraine

Apart from this, the United Kingdom has volunteered to deploy British Challenger 2 tanks to Poland to supplement its T-72 tank supplies to Ukraine. A total of 200 Javelin anti-tank missiles have also been deployed. A total of 1,360 anti-structure bombs were used, along with Plastic bombs weighing 4.5 tonnes and over 400,000 small-arms ammunition rounds. 

Over 200,000 non-lethal assistance items, which comprise helmets, body armour, range finders, and medical supplies are also provided to the war-torn nation. Equipment for electronic warfare, anti-battery Rader systems, GPS jamming devices, tens of thousands of night vision gadgets, and hundreds of heavy-lift UAV systems to support isolated soldiers logistically, are among other gears provided to Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine has requested 300 rocket launchers, 500 tanks, and 1,000 howitzers from the West ahead of a major summit on Wednesday, prompting concerns from certain quarters that it is pushing its requests for NATO-standard weaponry too far. 

(Image: AP)