The Royal Air Force (RAF) is conducting an airlift with C-17 Globemaster III freighters, delivering NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. The move comes amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Kiev.
British aircraft have been landing since Monday (17) at Boryspil International Airport, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. With them, they carry pallets with Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons missiles, more commonly called NLAW, points out the The War Zone.
https://twitter.com/dansabbagh/status/1483407026407542788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1483407026407542788%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2F43912%2Fc-17-loads-of-anti-tank-missiles-arrive-in-ukraine-courtesy-of-the-united-kingdom
The charge of anti-tank weapons was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. An invasion of the former Soviet Union country is increasingly feared. In a statement, the US government says a Russian invasion is imminent.
Another C-17 is leaving RAF Brize Norton tonight to Kyiv as UK is sending military supplies to Ukraine, avoiding German airspace https://t.co/QQPqDyx70A pic.twitter.com/8USNQNqK1x
- AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) January 19, 2022
The huge deployment of 100 Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, along with armored vehicles and aircraft, brings agony not only to the country but also to the rest of the world. The United States and its European partners have already strongly condemned Russian moves, threatening sanctions against Putin.
🇬🇧 передала # ZSU легкі протитанкові засоби
Це зміцнюватиме 🛡 спроможності України, а надані засоби будуть в икористані виключно з оборонною метою pic.twitter.com/ipGpqPfInG— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 18, 2022
Joe Biden is already considering military aid to Ukraine, while Britain is already moving to send NLAW missiles into the country, possibly by the hundreds. At the moment, it is not known exactly how many NLAW arrived in the Ukrainian forces.
https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1483518355042676743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1483518355042676743%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2F43912%2Fc-17-loads-of-anti-tank-missiles-arrive-in-ukraine-courtesy-of-the-united-kingdom
Still on the movement of the RAF C-17s, the trajectory used by the freighters drew attention and generated speculation. The aircraft flew over the North Sea rather than , suggesting some sort of diplomatic stalemate between the two countries.
Still, the rumors were denied by the Germans and British. On Twitter, Andy Netherwood, a former C-17 pilot, reinforced that the winds in the region during the night of the transports were favorable, which must have influenced the route of the planes. Upon returning to England, the C-17s followed the same path.
https://twitter.com/AndyNetherwood/status/1483437468426903552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1483437473292247043%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2F43912%2Fc-17-loads-of-anti-tank-missiles-arrive-in-ukraine-courtesy-of-the-united-kingdom
https://twitter.com/AndyNetherwood/status/1483437477843152902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1483437479730552832%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2F43912%2Fc-17-loads-of-anti-tank-missiles-arrive-in-ukraine-courtesy-of-the-united-kingdom
The delivery of the NLAW missiles brings a huge boost to the antitank capabilities of the Ukrainian troops, who are already operating the North American FGM-148 Javelin, seen as one of the best weapons against armored vehicles on the market. Washington has already shipped more of these weapons to Ukraine. Along with the troops, Russia sent hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles of various models.
Amid all the tensions, the negotiations between the parties in Vienna do not seem to be evolving. Russia wants anyway prevent Kiev from ing NATO. At the same time, Moscow announced the sending of more troops to Belarus, citing a military exercise divided into two phases, one of which consists of repelling an external threat in order to defend state interests.
