Ukrainian Army members were seen testing NLAWs – anti-tank missiles – which were sent by the UK on Friday as tensions continue to simmer with neighbour Russia. In a video released by news agency AFP, Ukrainian members expressed confidence that these anti-tank missiles will improve their arsenal.
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‘These weapons can destroy any armoured vehicle. It does not matter if they are in the air or on the ground,” Ukrainian serviceman Maksym was quoted as saying by the AFP. Another soldier Zinovy Tuzhansky told news agency NBC that if he were on the Russian side, he would refuse to ride a tank. “If I were the enemy, I would definitely not use a tank. I would not drive a tank, I would refuse,” Tuzhansky said. The exercises were being conducted somewhere in Yavoriv, in the Lviv region, close to the Polish border.
The UK along with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are among the handful of nations who have directly given Ukraine military support. Earlier this month, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said that the UK will also send troops to better prepare the Ukrainian army. The Baltic states, however, have helped Ukraine with Javelin anti-armor missiles and Stinger anti aircraft missiles.
The video shared by AFP and the NBC showed that Ukrainian forces are ready for any eventuality but looked evidently buoyed with the anti-tank missiles or NLAWs the UK has provided.
The weapons supplied by the UK and other allies to Ukraine continues to exacerbate Russian president Vladimir Putin’s fears of increased military presence in its neighbourhood. Russia has been persistent with its demand that it will tolerate NATO and the US military presence in former Soviet states.
The exercise also is in contract with UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s diplomatic push on Friday where he asked Russian president Vladimir Putin to step back from escalating tensions at the Ukrainian-Russian border. “(The prime minister) will reiterate the need for Russia to step back and engage diplomatically when he speaks to President Putin,” a No 10 Downing Street spokesperson told news agency AFP. It was not specified when the meeting will take place. Johnson earlier this week met US president Joe Biden and other EU leaders to discuss the way forward. The UK is a member of the UN security council and will hold a public meeting next week over the Ukraine issue.
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