Britain to give Ukraine 10,000 drones to help in fight against Russian invasion
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) welcoming British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps to Kyiv.
PHOTO: X/@GRANTSHAPPS
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LONDON – Britain will supply Ukraine with more than 10,000 drones to aid its fight against Russia’s invasion, the government said on March 7 as Defence Secretary Grant Shapps visited Kyiv.
The Defence Ministry said it was spending a further £125 million (S$213 million) on “cutting-edge” drones, bringing its overall drone package to Ukraine to £325 million.
The money will deliver more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s armed forces throughout 2024, a statement read. Most will be first-person view drones, as well as one-way attack, surveillance and maritime drones.
“I am ramping up our commitment to arm Ukraine with cutting-edge new drones coming directly from the UK’s world-leading defence industries,” said Mr Shapps.
The Defence Secretary, who is on his third visit to Ukraine, met his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Britain said it has committed more than £7 billion of military support to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. It has also trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops.
It was the first country to provide longer-range weapons to the Ukrainian military, announcing in May 2023 that it would send air-launched Storm Shadow missiles.
The Defence Ministry said Ukrainian troops have used different types of drones in the conflict, “destroying and damaging thousands of pieces of Russian equipment and vehicles”.
Kyiv, facing a shortage of manpower and weapons, is currently on the back foot in the conflict, with Russia having made recent front-line battlefield gains. AFP
