London, December 29 (EFE). – This Friday, the United Kingdom began sending about two hundred new missiles to Ukraine to strengthen air defenses against attacks from Russia.
In this way, the British executive is renewing the delivery of these elements that it had already transported to Ukrainian territory at the end of 2022, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
In particular, advanced short-range air-to-air missiles are being sent to Ukraine – that is, they are fired from one aircraft to destroy another aircraft, although systems have been developed to be able to fire them from the ground – or ASRAAM, for example Acronym. in English.
The effectiveness of these missiles is “very high,” according to the statement, and the success rate against Russian air targets is “up to 90%.”
According to the government, the goal of these deliveries is to “supplement Ukraine’s critical air defense capability to protect its citizens, front lines and critical national infrastructure from Russian bombing and drone attacks.”
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps expressed his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest wave of air strikes that killed at least 22 civilians and injured 130 in Ukraine this Friday.
“Today’s air defense delivery sends an undeniable signal, in the face of Russian barbarism, that the UK remains fully committed to supporting Ukraine,” he said.
At the same time, Shapps issued an international call for other countries to “come together and redouble their efforts to give Ukraine what it needs to win.”
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United Kingdom has additionally supplied Kiev with a squadron of Challenger-2 tanks, three batteries of AS90 self-propelled guns, Storm Shadow cruise missiles and long-range attack drones, among other ammunition and training for their soldiers. EFE
cap/er/fpa