(Washington) The United States announced new military aid to Ukraine on Friday, including rocket launchers and sniper shells that will improve Ukraine’s ability to target weapons depots and the military’s supply chain. Russian army.
The $400 million aid includes four Himars multiple rocket launcher systems and ammunition, which have previously enabled Ukrainian forces to attack targets – such as ammunition depots – with missiles fired off range of Russian artillery, said a senior Pentagon official.
With these Himars, “Ukraine succeeded in hitting Russian targets further back from the front line and in disrupting Russian artillery operations,” the official explained.
The Ukrainian army will have a total of 12 himars.
The aid package also includes a thousand 155mm shells for artillery pieces supplied by Kyiv’s Western allies.
These shells are “more effective” because they are more precise and have a greater range than those provided so far, said the Pentagon official.
He did not confirm whether the ammunition was Excalibur guided shells, which can travel more than 40 kilometers before hitting their target with precision, made in the United States and already delivered by Canada to Ukraine.
Thanks to the first Himars delivered last month, military experts estimate that the Ukrainian army was able to destroy more than a dozen Russian ammunition depots installed behind the front line in the east of the country.
“The Russians are making limited, hard-won progress at significant cost in some small areas of Dombass, they are falling behind their targets,” the US official said.
The Himars allowed the Ukrainians to “significantly disrupt the Russians’ ability to advance”, he said.
Washington has already provided $6.9 billion in military assistance to Kyiv since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
