A destroyed russian T-72B3M

 A destroyed russian T-72B3M, Marinka, 04.12.2023

UK to send more artillery guns and hundreds of drones to Ukraine

UK to send scores of artillery guns and hundreds of drones to Ukraine

Ben Wallace reveals latest British military support for Ukraine, including plans to send 50,000 artillery shells and hundreds more anti-tank weapons in the coming weeks.

The UK will supply scores of artillery guns, hundreds of drones and hundreds more anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in the coming weeks, the Defence Secretary has revealed.

The delivery of the new equipment will significantly step up the UK’s support as the country fights to repel Russia’s brutal and unjustified invasion.

More than 20 M109 155mm self-propelled guns and 36 L119 105mm artillery guns will soon arrive from the UK, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced in an update to Parliament today. Counter-battery radar systems and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition for Ukraine’s existing Soviet era artillery will also follow, he added.

This equipment will bolster the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s indiscriminate use of artillery.

The UK will also send more than 1,600 more anti-tank weapons in the coming weeks, along with drones, including hundreds of loitering aerial munitions.

So far 6,900 NLAW, Javelin, Brimstone and other anti-tank weapons, as well as 16,000 artillery rounds, six Stormer vehicles fitted with Starstreak anti-air missile launchers and hundreds of missiles have been sent to Ukraine.

The UK has also supplied maritime Brimstone missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, 120 armoured fighting vehicles and large quantities of non-lethal aid including more than 82,000 helmets, 8,450 sets of body armour and over 5,000 night vision devices.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

"The scale and range of equipment we are providing demonstrates the strength of our resolve. Together with our international partners, we will ensure Ukraine has the tools to defend their country from Putin’s illegal invasion."

The uplift comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in June that the UK would provide another £1 billion of military support to Ukraine.

The funding, which brings UK military support and broader regional activity since the outbreak of war to £2.3bn, will herald a new phase in the international community’s support, enabling Ukraine to go beyond their valiant defence against the illegal Russian invasion and mount offensive operations.

The next phase of military support, paid for with this additional funding, will include even more sophisticated air defence systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles and innovative new electronic warfare equipment.

It comes after the UK launched a major training operation for Ukrainian forces, with the potential to train up to 10,000 soldiers.

The Defence Secretary recently visited some of the first Ukrainian soldiers taking part in the programme, which is taking place at sites across the North West, South West and South East of the UK.

Source:
www.gov.uk

A background briefing of US defense official about the war in Ukraine

A background briefing with a senior U.S. defense official about the war in Ukraine concluded a short time ago. It’s Day 68 since Russia’s invasion.

Map of "Jomini of the West"

Notable details: 

The Pentagon now confirms that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the top military officer in Russia, visited the Donbas region of Ukraine last week. However, the Pentagon does NOT confirm that he was injured, as some reports have suggested.  The Pentagon is not in a position to confirm what, if anything, happened to Gerasimov while he was in Ukraine, the official said.

The U.S. official said that it’s “certainly possible” that Gerasimov’s trip was meant to provide a “manner of oversight.” Why would that be necessary?

The Pentagon also assesses today that Russia’s offensive in the Donbas region of Ukraine is “very cautious” and “very tepid.” “In some cases, quite frankly, the best way to describe it would be anemic,” the senior U.S. defense official said.

Russia has launched a number of offensive operations east and south of Izyum, a mid-sized city in eastern Ukraine that Russia captured late in March.  But the U.S. official described a pattern in which Russia moves into an area in the Donbas region, claims victory, then withdraws. Then Ukrainian forces often take the areas back, the U.S. official said.

Separately, Ukrainian forces have pushed Russian forces farther away from Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, the senior U.S. defense official said. He described an “able job” by Ukrainian forces over the last day or two.

Elsewhere: The southern port city of Mariupol continues to get hit with airstrikes. Russian forces are now using more “dumb bombs,” meaning they must fly closer to launch, the senior U.S. defense official said.

Russia still holds other areas in the south, including Kherson. 

Some number of Russian troops continue to flow out of Mariupol to the northwest, the Pentagon says. The thought is they will eventually join the Donbas campaign. 

The Pentagon is NOT confirming that Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian patrol boats, but acknowledges there is video circulating that appears to show that. “We’ve seen the video, same as you,” the official says.

On weapons transfers: More than 70 of the 90 howitzer artillery the United States promised to Ukraine have now been transferred, the U.S. defense official says. So have about tens of thousands of 155 mm rounds to go in them.

In the last day, the United States delivered 14 planes filled with military aid to the region for transfer to Ukraine, the senior U.S. defense official said. Five other nations combined to deliver 23 more shipments.

No Mi-17 helicopters approved by President Biden in recent aid packages have been delivered. But they are expected to be soon, the senior U.S. defense official said. 

Training of Ukrainians on Western systems continues.

Fifty Ukrainian artillerymen are expected to complete a week-long familiarization course today on the American howitzers, bumping the total number to receive the training to about 220, the official said.

Twenty Ukrainian soldiers began receiving training yesterday on how to use the new Phoenix Ghost drone. The unmanned aircraft is a loitering munition that can be flown directly into Russian vehicles or troop formations.

Russian force levels have not fundamentally changed in the last few days. The Pentagon now assesses there are 93 Russian battalion tactical groups in the fight, the senior defense official said. The number was 92 last week. Many of those units are not at full strength.

Via Dan Lamothe

U.S. Senate Approves Bill On Lend-Lease For Arms Supplies To Ukraine

 The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a bill that will help President Joe Biden send weapons and other supplies to Ukraine as it tries to defend itself from an invasion by Russia.

The bill approved by the Senate late on April 6 provides enhanced authority for Biden to enter into agreements with Kyiv to lend or lease defense items to Ukraine to protect civilian populations from the Russian military invasion, as well as for other purposes, without having to heed export regulations that can slow the process down.

Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022