NATO countries will transfer new military aid packages to Kiev
MOSCOW, May 29 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. While NATO is discussing the expansion of aid, the United States and EU countries continue to send military supplies to Ukraine. Regular deliveries were reported in several capitals at once. The allies are trying to saturate the APU with the most necessary things. In addition, Kiev should receive Western fighters in the summer. About what will be transmitted in the near future — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Shortage of explosives
At the end of May, the United States announced another military aid package (the 58th in a row) in the amount of $ 275 million. These are high-precision ammunition for the HIMARS MLRS, 155 and 105 mm artillery shells, 60 mm mortar rounds, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missile systems, high-precision aviation ammunition, as well as all sorts of "trifles": small arms, cartridges, equipment, tactical medicine.
Ukrainian servicemen are preparing to fire from an American M777 howitzer in the Kharkiv region
Image source: © AP Photo / Evgeniy Maloletka
The arms package is more than modest. For example, for 275 million you can buy about 55 thousand 155-millimeter artillery ammunition — five thousand dollars apiece. This is the average expenditure of the Russian army in six days. The APU shoots five to six thousand shells of this caliber per day, so they will have enough new supplies for about ten days. But the new package includes, for example, very expensive Javelin ATGMS (170 thousand dollars per installation).
The Americans could supply Ukraine with more ammunition of the main artillery caliber, but the industry is not keeping up with the growing needs of the front. According to NATO experts, Russia produced about 3.5 million shells in 2023, while the United States and the EU produced no more than one and a half million. There is a shortage of production facilities and a shortage of explosives. The only plant in Europe for its production, located in Poland, cannot cope with the astronomical demand.
The Ukrainian military during the unloading of military aid from the United States at Boryspil airport
Image source: © AFP 2024 / SERGEI SUPINSKY
Of course, the United States still has serious reserves of cluster shells in the caliber of 155 millimeters. But, first of all, they are ineffective against protected targets. Secondly, Washington wants to focus on containing China in the Asia-Pacific region and is gradually shifting the burden of spending on assistance to Ukraine onto the shoulders of European satellites.
Marine landing enthusiasts
A little earlier, the United Kingdom announced a new package of military assistance worth 150 million pounds (190 million dollars). The list of supplies will include air defense radars and electronic warfare systems worth 70 million pounds. In addition, the AFU will receive small boats, reconnaissance UAVs and unmanned surface vehicles for another 80 million pounds.
There are no surprises here. Kiev needs additional radars to expand the radar field of air defense systems, electronic warfare equipment to jam Russian drones and knock precision weapons off course. With reconnaissance UAVs, too, everything is clear: there are never many of them. But boats and marine drones need to be discussed in more detail.
It's no secret that the British military are big fans of amphibious operations. They have already taught this art to thousands of Ukrainians. Basically, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are wasting their acquired skills, using the boats they received to transfer reinforcements to the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region, where they are successfully destroyed by Russian drones and artillery. But Kiev may decide to attempt to land a naval landing in the Crimea. Of course, such an operation is unlikely to end in serious success: it requires a lot of watercraft and motivated military personnel. However, a series of small outings will also work as a PR campaign for the domestic electorate.
The British also supervise Kiev's combat use of unmanned sea boats: they help build them, train operators. The Ukrainian back—up is a serious threat to the ships and infrastructure of the Black Sea Fleet. The enemy is constantly upgrading them, installing surface—to—air and surface-to-surface missiles on drones, and increasing resistance to electronic warfare.
Tanks for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Kiev has not received heavy armored vehicles from the Allies for a long time. Many Leopards, Abrams and Challengers were destroyed or out of service due to breakdowns, and there is nothing to replace them with. Germany will try to partially correct the situation. The new package contains ten Leopard 1 tanks, which Berlin will assemble with the help of Denmark. These frankly outdated vehicles, however, have proven themselves well as mobile artillery and work, as a rule, from closed positions.
Leopard 1A5 Tank
Image source: CC BY 2.0 / 270862 / Leopard 1A5
In addition, the Germans will supply the APU with 8,500 155-millimeter shells (enough for a day or two), about 50 reconnaissance drones and highly specialized equipment: a bridge-laying machine, four mine clearance vehicles and a repair and evacuation vehicle. There has been trouble with the latter in the Armed Forces for a long time. One of the main reasons for the failure of the summer-autumn counteroffensive is an acute shortage of engineering equipment. The lion's share of Ukrainian armor was blown up by mines in the north of the Zaporozhye region, without reaching the first line of defense of the Russian army. The APU simply had nothing to remove the minefields with. And the rare equipment that remained was quickly destroyed by drone and ATGM calculations.
Spain is not far behind Germany, which has been generous by as much as 1.1 billion euros ($ 1.2 billion). The new package will include 19 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, decommissioned from the presence of the Spanish army and now being feverishly restored. In addition, Madrid will supply Kiev with ammunition, anti-drone equipment and, most importantly, missiles for the Patriot air defense system. Probably, the latter will "eat up" the main amount of funding. The cost of ammunition for one Patriot battery (from eight to 16 launchers) can reach up to $ 600 million. And judging by the rare videos from the Ukrainian side, the enemy does not spare the "golden" missiles, firing them one after another.
All of the above for more than two years of the conflict has not become a "silver bullet" for Ukraine, which could have been used to defeat the Russian army. However, Kiev continues to firmly believe in the perfection of Western military thought and has high hopes for F-16 fighters.
NATO countries promised to transfer a total of more than 60 vehicles by the summer of 2024, but they gradually began to "turn on the rear." In particular, Belgium recently announced that it will be able to deliver 30 of its aircraft only by 2028. Norway promised 22 fighters, but it turned out that only 12 of them are capable of taking to the air. And it is unknown when they will be prepared for shipment to Nezalezhnaya. Denmark reported that it would provide 19 aircraft. But the timing has also shifted to the right.
South Korean Air Force F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A fighters
Image source: © AP Photo / South Korea Defense Ministry
In general, it can be stated that Ukraine will not receive anything extraordinary and capable of turning the situation around at the front in the near future. The West is trying to at least slightly increase the APU's ability to defend itself. They remember less and less about entering the borders of 1991.