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Did Russia Really Destroy a Large Cache of NATO Weapons in Ukraine?

Ukraine
Tu-22M3M Russian Aircraft. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

U.S. Dismisses Russia’s Threats of Disrupting Military Assistance to Ukraine – Russia’s threats of disrupting U.S. and NATO weapons supplies to Ukraine were roundly dismissed during a Sunday press briefing with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan,

Sullivan described the United States supply chain that directs weapons and ammunition to Ukraine as “diverse and resilient” when asked about allegations from the Russian Ministry of Defense that troops had destroyed a large batch of NATO weapons sent by the U.S. and European countries.

“I have nothing to validate it and haven’t had the opportunity to consult with the Ukrainians on it,” Sullivan said. “ What I can say is that, you know, we have what we believe to be a diverse and resilient supply chain for these weapons into Ukraine.”

Sullivan said that even if the Russian are able to target and strike some shipments on the ground in Ukraine, it won’t disrupt the overall military assistance from the United States. Sullivan insisted that, from a strategic perspective, a singular strike would not be significant – but stopped short of confirming the recent claim from the Kremlin

Here’s What the Kremlin Says

On Saturday, video footage shared by Russia’s TASS state news agency appeared to show a missile being launched from a Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel. The footage was interlaced with a statement from Major General Igor Konashenkov, the top spokesman for Russia’s Ministry of Defense, claiming that the long-range weapon had struck several major targets – including a delivery of weapons and ammunition from the United States.

The shipment of weapons was said to be at a railway station in Zhytomyr – however, the footage did not specifically show weapons being destroyed.

According to Konashenkov, the weapons were on their way to the Donbas where Ukrainian troops are pushing back Russians attempting to take control of the separatist Luhansk and Donetsk regions. He described storage facilities filled with fuel for the Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles being destroyed by high-precision missiles in the port of Odesa and claimed that three additional Ukrainian command posts had been hit.

“More than 270 nationalists were destroyed as a result of airstrikes,” he said. He also claimed that 52 units of military equipment had been disabled.

Images shared by the Russian Defense Ministry showed smoke billowing from the sites mentioned in his statement.

In March, Russian officials threatened weapons convoys headed to Ukraine, sparking talk of a possible Russian strike on NATO territory. If this latest strike against U.S. weapons is confirmed, however, it could indicate that Russia intends to strike those convoys only once they arrive in non-NATO territory.

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.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He 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.

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