The United Kingdom is shipping around 200 air-defense missiles to Ukraine, a British minister says, as Russia launched a wave of missile strikes against targets in the ex-Soviet republic.
In a post on X on Friday, UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said that Britain was sending hundreds of missiles to Ukraine in an attempt to boost its air defense against waves of Russian strikes.
“The UK is moving rapidly to bolster Ukraine’s air defense, in the wake of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s murderous air strikes. Hundreds of British-made air-defense missiles are being sent to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself from Putin’s barbaric bombardment,” he said.
“Today’s air defense package sends an undeniable message, in the face of Russian barbarity that the UK remains absolutely committed to supporting Ukraine,” Shapps added.
His comments came in the wake of Russia’s largest missile and drone bombardment of the 22-month war.
The UK’s ministry of defense in a statement stressed that these missiles would restock British-gifted air defense systems capable of shooting down Russian drones and missiles “with incredible accuracy.”
Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) manufactured by Britain is designed to be launched from aircraft, including the UK’s Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets.
According to the statement by the UK’s ministry of defense, such missiles had been demonstrated to be “very effective yet low-cost solutions to the frontline to meet urgent requirements,” with a reported hit rate of as high as 90 percent against some Russian air targets.
“Ukrainian operators have become adept at their usage and have asked for more missiles to protect their country,” it went on to say, adding that the shipment is part of £2.3 billion of military support to Ukraine from Britain in the 2023-2024 financial year.
Since the onset of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has supplied Kiev with various weapons, including the NLAW anti-tank missile launcher and Brimstone 2 missiles.
Britain also became the first Western country to provide Ukrainian forces with a long-range cruise missile named the Storm Shadow. The Storm Shadow is a turbojet-powered missile that cruises at Mach 0.8 to a max range of 560 kilometers.
Furthermore, over 20,000 recruits from the Ukrainian armed forces received training in the UK since the beginning of 2022 under the British-led Operation Interflex.
Separately on Friday, US President Joe Biden said that the latest missile barrage on Ukraine is a “stark reminder” that Putin remained committed to destroying the ex-Soviet republic, stressing, “He must be stopped.”
“It is a stark reminder to the world that, after nearly two years of this devastating war, Putin’s objective remains unchanged. He seeks to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people,” Biden added.
Since the start of the war, the US has led a Western coalition sending tens of billions of dollars in weaponry and munitions to Kiev.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Western leaders against the continued supply of weapons and munitions to Ukraine, pointing out that such measures will not stop Russian troops from defending its objectives and that arming Kiev would only prolong the war.
