LONDON: The British government has said that it would provide Kyiv with 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth 162 million pounds to help protect the country from Moscow bombing and drones. Russia last week unleashed its largest air strike on Ukraine since the full-scale war started early in 2022. Kyiv has made repeated requests for more air defence support to defend itself from missile and drone strikes.
The fresh supply of missiles was announced as British defence minister John Healey attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of around 50 countries, at a U.S. air base in Germany.
The Ministry of Defence stated, in keeping with the new government’s resolve to speed deliveries of aid to Kyiv, the first batch of missiles announced on Friday were likely to arrive by the end of the year. “This new resolve will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” Healey stated.
The Ministry of Defence stated that the missiles made by Thales have a range of more than 6 km and can be fired from a variety of platforms on sea, land, and air.
Last Monday, Russia fired over 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine, killing around seven people and striking energy facilities worldwide in what Ukraine called the war’s “most massive” assault.
