Luca De Lellis June 09, 2023
Most of the counter-offensive in Ukraine announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy a week ago will use American weapons. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ukraine’s President urged Joe Biden’s government to act against the needs of his army, which was ready to attack militarily to retake territories lost since February 24, 2022. And the answer came promptly: the Department of Defense and the Pentagon have unveiled a new $2.1 billion package of military assistance to Ukraine. Since the invasion, aid given by the United States to Vladimir Putin’s enemy has reached the staggering 75 billion, including 46.6 billion for weapons and defense systems alone. This proves how crucial the outcome of this war is for the future of world geopolitics and the country.
The shipment is air defense munitions, a point that Kiev has already shown can harm Russia. Rocket launchers and Hawk missiles as well as Puma drones are the weapons included in the agreement, reports Il Messaggero. But two advanced Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems will also be sent. All in order to achieve Zelenskyy’s goal: to recapture the areas of Donbass that are now under Moscow’s rule. The counter-offensive has already begun and is spreading rapidly from Zaporizhia to Bakhmut. The next few weeks will be crucial in understanding the first results of this advance by Zelenskyi’s army.
So what are the specific weapons that the Americans sent? The Hawk is a missile that provides air defense against low and medium altitude aircraft, very efficient and with a high level of lethality. The Puma drones, on the other hand, are manufactured by the American aeronautical technology company AeroVironment and are designed to monitor and collect information using an electro-optical and infrared camera. Finally, the Patriot missile systems will be tasked with repelling tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and enemy aircraft.