The NATO and Western countries took the decision to provide aid to Ukraine in its war against the Russian “invasion,” in an attempt to avoid direct confrontation with Moscow. Since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, Western countries have sent thousands of anti-tank missiles and hundreds of air defense missiles and ammunition to Ukraine.
The United States was not alone. European Union countries also supplied arms to Ukraine worth 450 million euros ($503 million) and protective equipment worth 50 million euros ($55 million). The EU also took the decision to support the Ukrainian army with combat aircraft and fuel with $350 million in arms supplies, including anti-tank weapons. These numbers were disclosed in an English-language report published by Anadolu Agency on February 28, 2022 entitled: “NATO, Western Countries Begin Arm Supplies to Ukraine.”
The new aid the US has given Ukraine includes a wide range of military equipment, ranging from 25,000 sets of body armor and helmets to rifles and grenade launchers, as well as thousands of other anti-tank weapons and more than 20 million rounds of ammunition. Washington has also sent Javelin missiles and the 800 Stinger anti-aircraft system, which was once notorious for shooting down Soviet planes in Afghanistan, 100 “tactical unmanned aerial systems” — small drones — often manually launched and small enough to fit in backpacks.
It is worth noting that the US military aid to Ukraine in 2021 exceeded one billion dollars. As for Britain, it delivered anti-tank missiles to Ukraine in January 2022, and an additional military support package covering both lethal and non-lethal defensive weapons. For its part, the Czech Republic said it donated a shipment of 152mm artillery ammunition.
Large shipments of weapons, military equipment to Ukraine
According to NATO, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Britain and the USA have already sent large shipments of military equipment to Ukraine, as well as millions of dollars, while other member states have provided humanitarian aid and welcomed refugees.
Sweden, for its part, decided to supply Ukraine with weapons: 5,000 AT4 anti-tank weapons, 5,000 steel jackets, 5,000 military helmets and food for 135,000 soldiers. Germany demonstrated its military support to Ukraine by providing 5,000 anti-tank missiles and 500 Stinger missiles, as well as 5,000 helmets.
The Netherlands sent air defense missile launchers, while Estonia sent Javelin anti-tank missiles, Poland and Latvians sent Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and the Czechs sent machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, and ammunition. Even formerly neutral countries, such as Sweden and Finland, sent weapons to Ukraine. Britain provided an estimated 2,000 short-range anti-tank missiles, sent British specialists to provide training, and also supplied Saxon armored vehicles.
France, meanwhile, provided fuel aid to Ukraine in addition to military equipment. As part of NATO, France also sent 500 soldiers and armored vehicles to Romania, neighboring Ukraine, four Mirage 2000 warplanes to Estonia, and deployed 200 to 250 soldiers there. Turkey has sent several shipments of Bayraktar TP2 drones that it has deployed against Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region, infuriating Moscow.
Types of weapons Ukraine received from Western countries
Western countries supplied various types of weapons and equipment, most notably: the M-72 light anti-tank weapon (LAW) by Australia, Belgium (200), Denmark (2700), Finland (1500), Greece, and Norway (2000). The M-72 LAW was originally developed in the 1960s as a US weapon to defeat enemy armor on the battlefield. It is a fiberglass launch tube with a sighting mechanism for a 66mm anti-tank missile that is sealed inside the factory. Once launched, the launch tube is discarded.
Denmark sent anti-tank weapons consisting of M-72ECs. Finland sent 1,500 light anti-tank missiles, including M-72 LAWs, Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons (NLAWs), or the older French-made APILAS. One of the most successful weapons on the Ukrainian battlefield is the NLAW's next-generation anti-tank weapon, the older brother of the M-72 LAW.
Greece sent Ukraine “portable rocket launchers,” and Italy sent anti-tank weapons that could include Milan’s medium-range Panzerfaust 3 or older anti-tank missiles. Milan is a Cold War-era anti-tank missile with a range of 2,000 meters that can be fitted with a thermal night sight. Nevertheless, Ukraine has asked NATO to supply it with MiG-29 fighters, which are still in service in Bulgaria and Poland. These requests aim primarily to protect the Ukrainian airspace from Russian bombers. The Ukrainian Air Force can take advantage of the USA’s A-10 attack aircraft.
Has Ukraine become a swap for Russian forces?
Russia is currently waging a war that it probably cannot win no matter how events unfold on the battlefield. It appears that Ukrainian forces have successfully withstood the Russian incursion. Russia’s losses have been aggravating, with the war taking a more violent turn. As Russian forces attempt to capture Ukrainian cities, they are likely to face enormous resistance, although some military experts have interpreted this as a repositioning of Russian forces more than being a loss.
Despite these losses, Russia perceives its national security a priority. It believes that it is better to be in a confrontation now in Ukraine is better than to have Ukraine join NATO, and to have the organization at the Russian borders, which is what Moscow rejects.
Western military and intelligence assessments that believed Russia would quickly bring down Kyiv and take control of a large part of Ukraine have been proven incorrect. Ukrainian forces, backed by NATO weapons, put up surprising resistance. The Russian army suffered extraordinary losses in troops and equipment and this may be why it retracted back from its positions around the Ukrainian capital.
War of attrition
The war of attrition is a military strategy in which one side tries to bring the enemy down to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and equipment. The word “attrition” comes from Latin “attrition,” which means “friction.” In this context, it reflects how the military is trying to eliminate its opposition. War of attrition tends to be less strategic and less targeted at key checkpoints. It often involves more guerrilla warfare: ambushes, sabotage, raids and the like by small groups of attackers and sometimes deliberately targeting civilians. It is more about reducing the enemy’s resources to unsustainable levels than trying to capture cities or military bases, while keeping the option of controlling losses. Russian forces in Ukraine appear to be heading toward a war of attrition that would have a devastating impact on civilians.
The Ukraine war can be described as a war of attrition for both Russia and Europe, and this could be in the interest of the US administration. Washington aims to escalate Europe’s military spending and drag Russia into Ukraine, weakening it militarily and economically through a sustained Western arms supply line to Ukraine and the escalation of economic sanctions against Moscow.
