Ukrainian artillerymen prepare to fire L119 howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the Lugansk region. AFP
New Delhi: The war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified in the past few months, with western powers supplying arms and ammunitions to Kyiv. Since the invasion, the Ukrainians have built momentum on the battlefield and Western nations have been expanding the range of weapons being provided.
On the frontline of the Lugansk region, Commander Oleksandr, and a few other soldiers from his unit were seen firing on Russian positions.
The unit can be seen with a British L119 gun with an Australian modification, which fires a conventional projectile up to 11 kms, and a jet projectile up to 19 kms. It is a howitzer designed for airborne assault troops because it is light and can even be airdropped by parachute.
Oleksandr praised the supply of foreign artillery and said that it is helping them respond to the enemy effectively.
“If we talk about our Soviet-style guns, we are already starved for ammunition. Accordingly, if the western partners supply their artillery weapons, and shells, this is immediately felt on the battlefield. We can adequately respond to the enemy and create conditions for advancing,” said Oleksandr.
Viktor, a gunman from Oleksandr’s unit said that he is impressed by the results, and claimed that serious targets including the infantry were hit due to the help of foreign artillery.
West pushing to supply more heavy weapons in future
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had earlier said that Ukraine can expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from Western countries soon.
“The recent pledges for heavy warfare equipment are important — and I expect more in the near future,” Stoltenberg told the Handelsblatt daily.
Earlier this month, France, Germany and the United States respectively promised French AMX-10 RC light tanks, 40 German Marder infantry vehicles, and 50 Bradley fighting vehicles.
The UK is all set to send Ukraine its Challenger 2 battle tanks, which is the British Army’s main battle tank. It has previously been deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Iraq and is currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States.
The British Army claims the tank has “never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy.”
Putin is ‘unhappy’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday slammed Kyiv’s “destructive” policies and growing Western arms supplies to Ukraine.
Putin said that Kyiv was pursuing “a destructive line” and that it had “bet on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors, who are ramping up supplies of weapons and military equipment,” the Kremlin said.
He also accused Kyiv of rejecting his offer to halt fighting on Christmas Day which is marked on 7 January in Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine at the time dismissed the halt as a Russian ploy to gain time to regroup forces.
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