Britain to Send Armored Vehicles to Ukraine – The United Kingdom announced on Monday that a small number of Stormer armored vehicles will be given to Ukraine as part of the country’s latest round of aid.
Speaking in the House of Commons, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the vehicles would be fitted with anti-air missile launchers.
“I can now announce to the House that we will be gifting a small number of armored vehicles fitted with launchers for those anti-air missiles,” Wallace said.
“The Stormer vehicles will give Ukrainian forces enhanced, short-range anti-air capabilities both day and night.”
The British parliamentarian also said that his country’s intelligence officials estimate that 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in the war so far, with 2,000 armored vehicles destroyed by Ukrainian troops and an additional 530 tanks taken out of action. British intelligence also believes that 60 Russian helicopters and fighter jets have been destroyed.
What Are Stormer Armored Vehicles?
The Stormer armored vehicle is an anti-aircraft combat vehicle fitted with armor plates designed to protect against arms fire and shell fragments. The vehicles are fitted with anti-aircraft weapons.
Specifically, the vehicles are fitted with Starstreak High-Velocity Missile launchers which are highly effective at downing enemy aircraft. The vehicles are fitted with target detection and prioritization systems, as well as a panoramic weapon sight at the front.
The donation is significant as it represents a change in the kind of weapons provided by the United Kingdom, a NATO country. So far, Ukraine has only received shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles from most NATO countries.
Stormers can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour and have a range of 600km.
More Aid Also Coming from the U.S.
Along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement, this week that the U.S. would provide an additional $300 million in military financing and a sale of $165 million worth of ammunition, a promise of Stormer armored vehicles from the British could well have played a part in Russia’s recent warning against continuing to supply Ukraine with arms.
During an interview on the Rossiya 24 TV network, Russia’s Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, accused the United States of making the conflict worse.
“We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice,” Antonov said.
“What the Americans are doing is pouring oil on the flames…I see only an attempt to raise the stakes, to aggravate the situation, to see more losses.”
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.