Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 29, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. While most Ukrainians take shelter during Russian attacks, Ukrainian soldier Kostiantyn Chernyshov heads
After months of delays and frustration, U.S. military aid is once again heading to Ukraine in significant quantities. Among the first to arrive will be a $1 billion package of weapons and equipment from U.S. stockpiles, the Pentagon announced on April 24. "This package will surge munitions, weapons,
Belgium will pledge 200 million euros ($213 million) for the German-led air defense initiative and supply Ukraine with rockets, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced on April 26.
The move is the latest from Western nations responding to calls from Kyiv for more air defenses in the face of escalating Russian missile and drone attacks on cities across the country.
Greece will not supply Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems or S-300 missiles, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on April 25.
After almost seven months of delays, the U.S. Congress finally approved $61 billion in aid for Kyiv, mostly in the form of military assistance. The legislation was promptly signed by U.S. President Joe Biden, and shortly after, the Pentagon announced the first defense package of $1 billion, containing
Speaking on national television, Andriy Yermak said Kyiv was "talking with many partners, primarily the U.S." about securing more of the badly needed systems and referred to recent news of German efforts to convince Washington to send more.
The news follows a story by the Financial Times (FT) on April 22, in which official sources said that Greece and Spain were under specific pressure from the EU to provide additional air defense systems to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a 500-million-pound ($617 million) uplift in military support for Ukraine during his visit to Poland on April 23.
Key developments on April 22: * Military: Over 20,000 Russian troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar, outskirts * Budanov: Ukraine faces 'difficult situation' starting mid-May * Russia claims to have captured Novomykhailivka, Ukraine denies * Russia destroys Kharkiv TV tower * Poland cannot transfer Patriots to Ukraine but will provide other help, Tusk says
Poland cannot transfer any Patriot systems to Ukraine as it lacks reserves of its own, but will provide other forms of assistance in terms of air defense, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on April 22.
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson does not rule out sending Ukraine Patriot air defense systems, the Guardian reported on April 22.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said there are "significant sums" to be directed to Ukraine's air defense but did not specify the exact amount.
A senior EU official told the Financial Times (FT) that member states are expected to “step forward” to provide Ukraine with what it needs.
The first Russian Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber was reportedly shot down by Ukraine and crashed over Russia's Stavropol Krai overnight on April 19. The aircraft was carrying out a combat mission when a Soviet-era S-200 anti-aircraft system shot it down, an intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent. The Russian Defense
Ukrainian air defenses downed two missiles and three reconnaissance drones during a Russian attack overnight on April 20, reported Air Force commander Mykola Oleschuk.
Search and rescue operations at the sites of a Russian missile attack on Dnipro have concluded at around 8:40 a.m. local time on April 20, the State Emergency Service said.
The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, issued a statement condemning the Russian military's April 19 attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
"When Ukraine appeals to partners for air defense systems that they have - in warehouses, in storage bases, but that are needed here, right here, to protect lives - we are talking about a true alliance," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Specifically, the country is devoting 150 million euros ($160 million) to Germany's Immediate Action on Air Defence initiative. The Netherlands has also allocated 60 million euros ($64 million) for the purchase of short-range air defense hardware, for example, to combat Russian drones.
"In addition to Patriots, there are other weapons that allies can provide, including (the French system) SAMP/T, and many others, who do not have available systems, have pledged to provide financial support to purchase them for Ukraine," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers promised on April 19 to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
NATO members are discussing sending some of their air defense systems to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference after the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Capri on April 18.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Germany's Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck during the latter's visit to Kyiv on April 18.
There are six additional Patriot systems in NATO countries that could be delivered to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on April 18 following a Special European Council summit in Brussels.
Robert Habeck, who is also Germany's economy and environment minister, was accompanied by Helmut Rauch, the head of Germany's Diehl Defense company that manufactures IRIS-T air defense systems.
"We have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them (out) from our barracks where they are just in case and send them to Ukraine where the war is raging," Josep Borrell told reporters after a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting on the island of Capri.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte offered on April 17 to buy Patriot air defense systems from more hesitant allies in order to send them to Ukraine, The Guardian reported.
A NATO-Ukraine Council meeting to discuss supplies of air defense systems will take place on April 19, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 17. President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the gathering earlier this week.
Berlin has already appealed to EU and NATO partners as well as other unspecified countries, as Russia's intensifying aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities continue to highlight the growing shortage of sufficient air defense systems.
"Three days ago in the Middle East, we saw what reliable protection of human lives from missiles looks like," Kuleba said.
The question of why Western countries cannot defend Ukraine's airspace in the same way they did for Israel is "well-founded," but the two situations "cannot be compared," Josep Borrel, the EU's top diplomat, said on April 16.
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