The UK is to give long-range missiles to Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits the front lines after Putin threatened retaliation with fresh attacks.
The gift from UK of M270 multiple-launch rocket systems, which have a range of 50 miles, comes after Russia’s Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation with fresh attacks “if missiles with longer ranges did arrive in Ukraine”. On Sunday President Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops in Lysychansk and Soledar, cities just a few miles from the Eastern front where the most intense fighting is currently taking place.
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated that his country is sending its first long-range missiles to Ukraine. Mr. Ben Wallace said, the M270 multiple-launch rocket system will help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
Announcing the move, Mr. Wallace said, the UK was taking a leading role in supplying Ukrainian troops with the vital weapons they need to defend their country. However, the UK Government has not confirmed how many weapons will be sent. He added, it is also a recognition that Ukraine is struggling to compete against Russia’s vast artillery arsenal.
The UK’s multiple launch rocket system can fire 12 surface-to-surface missiles within a minute and can strike targets within 50 miles with pinpoint accuracy – far further than the artillery Ukraine currently possesses. It is similar to the system the US is sending, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Thousands more civilians have been killed in Ukraine in the war there, which has been going on for months. The United Nations corroborated 7,061 civilian casualties, with 3,381 killed and 3,680 injured across the country since the beginning of the armed attack by the Russian Federation. The actual figures are higher and we are working to corroborate every single incident,” Matilda Bogner told a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. However, the unofficial figures are much higher