Message from US Congressman Ukrainian first lady, Nothing was more clear than what was delivered in the crisp, graphic images of the bloodshed of civilians.Russia InvasionOlena Zelenska said her country needs more Western weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent her to Washington to appeal directly to the US Congress about the air defense system.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Moscow insists on parts of the Kherson region and Zaporizhia and expands “continuously and sustainably”, and Russia is wider beyond the industrial area of eastern Ukraine known as Donbus. He appealed on Wednesday for suggesting plans to occupy the area. Profit elsewhere.
The billions of dollars in Western military aid were crucial to Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russia’s attacks, but Kieu officials say they are still too few to turn the tide of war.
Let’s take a look at what Ukraine has received so far.
HIMARS rocket launcher
The HIMARS system provided by the United States and the similar M270 in the United Kingdom have greatly enhanced the precision attack capability of the Ukrainian army.
The HIMARS and M270 have longer range, much higher accuracy and faster firing speed than the Soviet-designed Multiple Launch Rocket guns used in both Russia and Ukraine. ..
The HIMARS launcher on board the truck launches GPS-guided missiles that can hit targets up to 80 km (50 miles) away. This distance is outside the reach of most Russian artillery systems. Transporter erector launchers are difficult for enemies to detect and can be repositioned immediately after firing to escape airstrikes.
The Ukrainian army has received 12 HIMARS and several M270 systems so far, but already to target Russian ammunition and fuel depots in eastern Ukraine, which are essential to support the attack on Moscow. I’m using them. On Wednesday, Ukrainian troops reportedly used HIMARS to attack a strategic bridge in southern Kherson occupied by Russia.
“HIMARS has little rest during the day and at night. Ukrainian military expert Ole Zudanov told The Associated Press,” Their potential is being fully utilized. The results are impressive. Over 30 important Russian targets have been attacked with high precision in the last two weeks. “
So far, U.S. officials have refrained from providing Ukraine with long-range missiles for the HIMARS launcher that can reach targets up to 300 km (186 miles), and the military will launch attacks deep into Russian territory. I can.
heavy artillery
Ukraine has delivered more than 200 heavy artillery systems from the United States and its NATO allies. They include the US M777, the French CAESAR, the German PzH 2000, and other towed and self-propelled long-range artillery systems.
Western howitzers have some advantages over older systems designed by the Soviet Union in Russian and Ukrainian arsenals, but it takes time for the Ukrainian crew to learn how to operate them. Their wide assortment poses obvious logistical challenges.
Michael Kofman, a Russian military expert and program director at the Virginia-based CNA think tank, said: “The final result they got was a cannon petting zoo, which is very difficult to maintain, maintain, and logistical.”
A more serious problem is that the number of Western weapons is still too small.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mihairo Podriak said last month that the country needed at least 1,000 heavy howitzers, 300 multiple rocket launchers, 500 tanks and 2,000 armored vehicles.
“Western weapons are superior to Soviet analogs, but they are too few to turn the tide of war,” Zhdanov said.
armor
Ukraine demanded more armor from the West to make up for the great losses on the battlefield. The country has reportedly received more than 300 Soviet T-72 tanks from Poland and the Czech Republic and is already using them in combat.
The long-promised delivery of German leopard tanks has been put on hold, but the delay has elicited an angry reaction on Ukrainian media and social networks.
Ukraine has handed over hundreds of armored personnel carriers from the United States and several NATO allies. This is a miscellaneous collection of vehicles that do not fully compensate for what you have already lost.
Western allies also provided Ukraine with a large number of portable anti-tank weapons, which played an important role in helping Ukrainian soldiers defeat the Russian armored convoy.
Drone
In the early days of the war, Ukraine used extensive stock of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 laser-guided bomb drop drones to attack long fleets and supply columns of Russian troops. However, Bayraktar is less effective due to the high density of Russia’s air and electronic defenses in eastern Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. and Western allies have had hundreds of other “Kamikaze” switchblades, including an unspecified number of “Kamikaze” switchblades 600, equipped with warheads that penetrate tanks and use artificial intelligence to track targets. I have shipped a drone. However, their range is limited and they can only stay in the air for about 40 minutes.
Ukraine has sought a more sophisticated long-range drone that can withstand radio and GPS interference and rely on satellite communications for control and navigation.
Air defense system
The United States and other NATO allies have provided Ukraine with more than 2,000 man-portable air defense missile systems, or MANPADS such as Stinger and other similar weapons.
Such a compact system is efficient for combat helicopters and low-flying jets, and the Ukrainian Army is capable of using them to inflict significant losses on the Russian Air Force and provide close air support to the Ground Forces. Helped to limit and slow down the pace of Moscow attacks.
At the same time, Ukraine also proposed to the West to supply the West with medium- and long-range air defense systems capable of shooting down cruise missiles and high-flying aircraft.
It received several Soviet S-300 long-range air defense systems from Slovakia. This is the kind of weapon that the Ukrainian army has been operating for a long time.
The United States has also promised Ukraine to provide two NASAMS midrange air defense systems.
Germany has promised Ukraine to supply 30 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, but has not yet arrived.
Warplan
Since the start of the invasion on February 24, Ukraine has urged its Western allies to provide fighters to challenge Russia’s air superiority fighter.
But the United States and its allies demand Ukraine for fear of triggering an escalating reaction from Moscow that warned NATO that supplying Ukraine with fighters could be equivalent to participating in a conflict. I was reluctant to give a fighter.
In March, the Pentagon rejected Poland’s proposal to hand over a Soviet MiG-29 fighter to Ukraine by transferring it to a US base in Germany because of the high risk of causing escalation between Russia and NATO. did. Ukraine has its own fleet of MiG-29s, but it is unclear how many of them and other jets are still in use.
Earlier this month, Slovakia announced its intention to provide the MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine, which is waiting for the delivery of the US F-16 figter jet, but no action has been taken.
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