Lithuania will hand over to Ukraine 36 portable anti-aircraft systems that can effectively counter Iranian-made drones Russia is using to attack the country, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on Feb. 9 at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov.
According to Anusauskas, 15 Ukrainian instructors have already been trained to teach soldiers to use these anti-aircraft systems.
Anusauskas arrived in Ukraine on Feb. 8 for a two-day visit to meet Reznikov. "We discussed further steps in Lithuania's assistance to Ukraine's Armed Forces. In particular, the armament and military training," Reznikov wrote on Facebook.
At the briefing, the Lithuanian minister did not mention the name of the systems, but he might be referring to the Swedish L-70 anti-aircraft guns as their provision had been announced in the latest aid package on Jan. 19. Back then, Anusauskas didn't provide the number of guns to be delivered, saying Lithuania would send "dozens" of them to Ukraine.
Lithuania was one of nine European countries to sign the Tallinn Pledge on Jan. 19, a commitment to empower Ukraine with the offensive potential it needs to liberate all Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia.
A Lithuanian campaign recently raised 6 million euros to buy multifunctional tactical radars for Ukraine in less than a week.
