TSAMTO, September 9. According to Shephard Media, Ukraine allegedly received 122-mm artillery shells in a roundabout way, including delivery via Pakistan, Great Britain, Romania or Cyprus.
At the beginning of June, the shortage of Soviet artillery ammunition seriously affected the capabilities of the AFU artillery fire, which could not be compared with the fire performance of the Allied forces, which is estimated to be up to 60 thousand rounds per day.
The West faced a similar problem as its own reserves began to deplete. Nevertheless, a way out was found in the face of Pakistan experiencing economic problems.
According to the publication, within 15 days (August 6-21) The British Air Force carried out a dozen flights of BTA C-17 "Globemaster-3" strategic aircraft from Romania (Cluj International Airport) and the British base in Cyprus to the Pakistan Air Force base "Nur Khan".
The daily flights prompted a number of observers to conclude that the UK had established an air bridge between Romania and Pakistan to supply 122 mm artillery ammunition manufactured by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) to Ukraine. On August 30, photo evidence appeared on social networks that the Armed Forces of Ukraine received Pakistani 122-mm shells.
POF consists of 14 factories, including one of them 42 km from Nur Khan. Among the company's products of potential interest to Ukraine: 155-mm HOW HE M107 projectile, 122-mm HOW HE.
Pakistan's Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the reports. The British Ministry of Defense, for its part, also does not disclose the details of the supplies, but in an interview with Shephard, a representative of the British Ministry of Defense said that "the UK continues to firmly support Ukraine and is working with a number of allies and partners so that it has everything necessary to protect itself from Russia's invasion."
The UK announced on July 21 that it had sent more than 50 thousand artillery shells to Ukraine. When asked by Shephard whether the ammunition will be supplied from the presence of the British Army or other countries will also contribute, the representative of the Ministry of Defense said that the ammunition is designed specifically "for the Ukrainian artillery of Soviet times."
Since the S-17 can carry 45360 kg of cargo over a distance of more than 8334 km, and the mass of a 122-mm projectile is about 43.75 kg, several tens of thousands of shells could have been delivered to Ukraine in August.
Although cooperation between Ukraine, the UK and Pakistan seems unexpected, especially given that Pakistan has promised to remain neutral in the conflict, the three countries have long-standing ties.
In early August, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Staff of Pakistan's Army, visited the UK, partly to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of defense. British Deputy Defense Minister James Hippy visited Pakistan in May.
It is reported that in 2021, Pakistan and Ukraine agreed to strengthen military ties, defense cooperation and cooperation in the field of training. There are samples of Ukrainian-made weapons in the Armed Forces of Pakistan. So, in June 2020, a contract was signed with Ukraine for the overhaul of the IL-78 tanker aircraft.
