Britain Sends 650 Air Defense Missiles To Protect Ukraine From Drones And Bombings Of Russia

The Ukrainian military is preparing to fire NGOs from individual launchers. (Wikimedia Commons/Obviously

JAKARTA - The British government on Friday announced it would deliver 650 light multi-player missiles (LMM) worth 162 million to Ukraine, to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombings.

Russia last week launched its biggest airstrikes on Ukraine since a large-scale war began in early 2022.

Ukraine has repeatedly called for more air defense support to defend itself against missile and drone strikes.

The new missile supply was announced when British Defense Secretary John Healey attended Ukraine's Defense Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of about 50 countries, at the United States air base in Germany.

The Ministry of Defense said, in accordance with the commitment of the new government to accelerate aid deliveries to Ukraine, the first missiles announced on Friday are expected to arrive by the end of the year.

"This new commitment will provide an important boost to Ukraine's air defenses," Defense Minister Healey said in a statement.

Last Monday, Russia fired more than 200 missiles and drones into Ukraine, killing seven people and hitting energy facilities across the country in an attack that Kyiv called the "most massive" attack in the war.

"In recent days we have seen how tragic it is as a result of Russia's blind attacks on Poltava and Lviv. These new British-made missiles will support Ukraine to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin's brutal attacks," Defense Minister Healey said., quoted from the UK Ministry of Defense website.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry says the missiles made by Thales have a range of more than 6 kilometers (3.73 miles) and can be fired from various platforms on land, sea, and air. The missile glides at a speed of 1.5 Mach.

"With our international partners today, we will show that we are united for Ukraine. And we will discuss the best way we can do to increase support. Because Britain and Europe's security starts from Ukraine," said Defense Minister Healey.