Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Ukraine has begun receiving Harpoon anti-ship missiles from Denmark and self-propelled artillery from the US, weapons that will support forces against Russian aggression, Defense Minister Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said on Saturday.
“Our country’s coastal defenses will not only be enhanced by Harpoon missiles – they will be used by trained Ukrainian teams,” Reznikov wrote on his Facebook page.
He said the Harpoon surface-to-ship missile would be operated in conjunction with Ukraine’s Neptune missile to protect the coast, including the southern port of Odessa.
Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odessa regional military administration in southern Ukraine, said in an online post that “so many Harpoons have been handed over to us that we were able to sink the entire Fleet.” Russia’s Black Sea team. Why not?”
Last month, the Moskva, flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sank after Ukraine blamed it on an anti-ship missile attack. Moscow says a fire sparked an ammunition depot explosion.
After launching the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Russia imposed a naval blockade on Ukrainian ports, hindering vital grain exports. It has also used its Black Sea fleet to launch missile attacks.
Reznikov said Ukraine has also received a variety of heavy artillery, including the US-made M109 self-propelled howitzer that has been modified to allow the Ukrainian military to strike targets from longer distances.
Ukraine says it wants to secure the delivery of US-made M270 long-range multiple rocket launchers.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working to increase its supply of weapons, getting close to being able to outperform the Russians in terms of technology and offensive capabilities.
“Of course, a lot depends on our partners and their readiness to provide Ukraine with everything necessary to defend freedom. And I expect good news next week,” he said. in a late-night video without giving details.
Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said late Saturday that “weapons that we desperately need will most likely be delivered soon.”
The key will be a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels in mid-June, attended by Reznikov, Arestovych said on social television, Arestovych said. “If the allies in the West do not delay … then around June 20 the situation on the front will change greatly in our favor.”
Russia said its forces were carrying out a “special operation” to demilitarize Ukraine and rid it of anti-Russian extremist nationalists. Ukraine and its allies call it a false pretext to wage a war of aggression.
