Is anyone keeping track of the arms going to Ukraine? Belgium alone is sending 200 anti-tank weapons and 5,000 automatic rifles/machine guns
Photo: A US Marine launches a Switchblade drone during an exercise in 2020. US Marine Corps/Cpl. Jennessa Davey
I ran across a video a couple of weeks ago of someone, perhaps not representative of Ukraine, boasting about the fact that, once Russia was beaten back, Ukraine would have one of the best-supplied militaries in the world.
An exaggeration, of course, but it got me thinking: Exactly who is overseeing the massive push to Arm Ukraine. Likely no one.
That notion came to the fore again this morning when I read a report in The Conversation (below) stating that the UK continued to supply arms to Iran long after the events that would lead to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention.
So this is a brief overview but surely indicative of the mayhem that has, and always will, surround that vague thing they call ‘arms sales.’
- The weapons and military aid the world is giving Ukraine
- Arms Transfers to Ukraine
- Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
- Germany decides to send weapons from its military to Ukraine (video)
- The Ultimate Winners in Ukraine are the World’s Arms Merchants
23 March 2022 | Jame Porteous | Clipper Media Watch
There are so many things our collective governments do not do very well.
Think of the state of schools for young children. Or housing for seniors. Or a decent medial system for everyone.
On the other hand, as we have seen recently, virtually every government the world over was ready and able to supply Ukraine with everything from helmets to bullets and beyond at a moment’s notice.
That could be the new name of their Universal Arms Store: Helmets Bullets & Beyond.
And how is this? Nations that you might expect would have no arms, let alone ‘extra’ to send off to Ukraine, are responding with unbridled glee. Within hours of the US Call to Arms they were all racing to get on board the Helmets Bullets & Beyond gravy train.
As you will see below, Denmark will be sending ‘2,700 anti-tank weapons, 300 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles (returned to United States to be made operational) and protective vests.’
Netherlands will supply ‘200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 3,000 combat helmets and 2,000 fragmentation vests with accompanying armor plates, 100 sniper rifles with 30,000 pieces of ammunition, plus other equipment; 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers (with German permission)’
And of course Germany (with US permission) is adding so much money to their purchases at Helmets Bullets & Beyond -with absolute immediate affect – that by the end of this year they will have rank behind only the US and China.
And yes, of course it all for a good cause. No question, no doubt.
But now that Ukraine 24/7 has replaced Covid 24/7 and we begin to tentatively look back on the world-wide governmental response to covid, we can see that, by accident or by design, it was often little more than a government-spending shit show.
And one cannot help but fear the answers that might come to light when – or if – anyone does even a rudimentary calculation of which – and how many – arms have been sent to Ukraine.
But of course the countries that run Helmets Bullets & Beyond will not be very keen to open their books to such scrutiny.
James Porteous | Clipper Media Watch
1. The weapons and military aid the world is giving Ukraine
More than 25 countries have joined in delivering support to Ukraine’s war effort. Here’s what we know.
22 March 2022 | JOSEPH GEDEON | Pollitico
It’s been nearly a month since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the war has become a grinding battle of attrition.
What Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation” and what Russian generals thought would result in the quick capitulation of Ukraine’s military forces has stalemated.
But how has a country with just 200,000 active military personnel been able to stand up to a behemoth Russian army with far more sophisticated weaponry?
A large part of that fierce resistance comes from the swift coalescence of military donations by NATO and other allied countries.
More than 25 nations have joined in purchasing and delivering weapons to support Ukraine’s war effort.
The U.S. has sent billions of dollars in missiles, ammunition and other items to the front. The EU signed off on a €500 million ($551 million USD) package — a first for the 27-country European bloc — to help arm Ukraine. And both Finland and Germany have rewritten long-standing policy that barred exporting weapons into war zones.
At the same time, there are tens of thousands of troops being activated and deployed by NATO countries in Eastern Europe.
Using a resource guide retrieved from the Forum on the Arms Trade that mostly relies on official government statements and reports in the media — and backfilled with our own independent research — POLITICO has worked to track and compile weapons and materials that have been announced or directed to Ukraine by various countries since January.
‘As tensions mounted in late 2021 and into 2022 concerning a Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries announced arms transfers to Ukraine. As the invasion began in late February, this resource page was launched to track developments related to such transfers, which thus far includes pledges and/or deliveries from more than 20 countries plus the European Union.’
See their website for an extensive Helmets Bullets & Beyond timeline
Overview of pledged and/or delivered weapons (see timeline below for more details and links) Find more information here
- Australia: missiles and weapons – 70 million Australian dollars ($50 million)
- Belgium: 200 anti-tank weapons and 5,000 automatic rifles/machine guns
- Canada: 4500 M72 rocket launchers and up to 7500 hand grenades, as well as $1 million dollars for the purchase of commercial satellite high resolution and modern imagery, machine guns, pistols, carbines, 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, sniper rifles, and various related equipment ($7.8 million), plus additional $20 million in military aid (25 million Canadian dollars – details undisclosed)
- Croatia: rifles and machine guns, protective equipment valued at 124 million kuna (€16.5 million)
- Czech Republic: 400 million koruna ($18.23 million) of non-light weapons, including 160 shoulder-fired MANPADS systems (probably 9K32 Strela-2), 20 light machine guns, 132 assault rifles, 70 submachine guns, 108,000 bullets, 1,000 tactical gloves, all worth 17 million crowns ($756,000), and an earlier 188 million koruna ($8.6 million) worth of 4,000 mortars, 30,000 pistols, 7,000 assault rifles, 3,000 machine guns, a number of sniper rifles, and one million bullets.
- Denmark: 2,700 anti-tank weapons, 300 Stinger missiles (returned to United States to be made operational), protective vests
- Estonia: Javelin anti-tank missiles; nine howitzers (with German permission)
- European Union: other weapons (unspecified- €500 million) [originally included fighter jets, which currently appears no longer true]
- Finland: 2,500 assault rifles and 150,000 cartridges for them, 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons, and combat ration packages
- France: “additional defense equipment”
- Germany: 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defense system, plus permission for select other countries to send weapons controlled by Germany
- Greece: defense and medical equipment
- Italy: Cabinet approved transfer of military equipment, pending Parliamentary approval.- reported to include Stinger missiles and machine guns
- Lithuania: Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems and ammunition
- Netherlands: 200 Stinger missiles, 3000 combat helmets and 2000 fragmentation vests with accompanying armor plates, one hundred sniper rifles with 30,000 pieces of ammunition, plus other equipment; 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers (with German permission)
- Norway: 2000 anti-tank weapons, helmets, bulletproof vests, other protection equipment
- Portugal: grenades and ammunition, G3 automatic rifles, and other non-lethal equipment
- Romania: €3 million of fuel, bulletproof vests, helmets, ammunition, military equipment, and medical treatment
- Slovakia: preliminarily agreed to provide Ukraine with S-300 air defense systems
- Spain: 20 tons of medical supplies, defensive, and personal protective equipment composing of helmets, flak jackets, and NBC (nuclear-biological-chemical) protection waistcoats
- Sweden: 5,000 anti-tank weapons, helmets, and body shields
- Turkey: co-production of Bakar Bayraktar TB2 armed drones
- United Kingdom: 2,000 short-range and anti-tank missiles, Saxon armored vehicles
- United States: Stinger and Javelin missiles, anti-armor, small arms and various munitions, body armor, plus ($2 billion over the past year)
* this list is primarily meant to indicate lethal weapons, but does include some non-lethal weapons (non-comprehensively)
3. Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
MARCH 16, 2022 | STATEMENTS AND RELEASES | White House
President Biden today announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine to $1 billion in just the past week, and a total of $2 billion since the start of the Biden Administration.
The assistance will take the form of direct transfers of equipment from the Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military to help them defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.
The new $800 million assistance package includes:
- 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
- 2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems;
- 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
- 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, and 400 shotguns;
- Over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds;
- 25,000 sets of body armor; and
- 25,000 helmets.
In addition to the weapons listed above, previous United States assistance committed to Ukraine includes:
- Over 600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
- Approximately 2,600 Javelin anti-armor systems;
- Five Mi-17 helicopters;
- Three patrol boats;
- Four counter-artillery and counter-unmanned aerial system tracking radars;
- Four counter-mortar radar systems;
- 200 grenade launchers and ammunition;
- 200 shotguns and 200 machine guns;
- Nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and over 1 million grenade, mortar, and artillery rounds;
- 70 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and other vehicles;
- Secure communications, electronic warfare detection systems, body armor, helmets, and other tactical gear;
- Military medical equipment to support treatment and combat evacuation;
- Explosive ordnance disposal and demining equipment; and
- Satellite imagery and analysis capability.
In addition to the U.S.-produced short-range air defense systems the Ukrainians have been using to great effect, the United States has also identified and is helping the Ukrainians acquire additional, longer-range systems on which Ukraine’s forces are already trained, as well as additional munitions for those systems.
The United States continues to expedite the authorization and facilitation of additional assistance to Ukraine from our Allies.
At least 30 countries have provided security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. In 2022, the Department of State authorized third-party transfers of defensive equipment from more than 14 countries, a number that continues to grow as Allies and Partners increase support to Ukraine.
4. Germany decides to send weapons from its military to Ukraine (video)
26 February 2022 | DW |
The German military will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 “Stinger” class surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion, the government announced.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said the weapons would be delivered as soon as possible to support the Ukrainian military.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was Germany’s “duty to support Ukraine to the best of its ability in defending itself against the invading army of Vladimir Putin.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Germany’s decision to send weapons, in a major reversal of policy for Berlin. “Keep it up, Chancellor Olaf Scholz! Anti-war coalition in action!” Zelenskyy tweeted.
Earlier Saturday Berlin authorized NATO partners the Netherlands and Estonia arms deliveries to Ukraine. For the Netherlands, 400 German-made anti-tank weapons are involved, while Estonia was granted approval to sent artillery from old GDR (East German) stocks.
The move marks a major change of course for Germany, which had until now refused the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine due to its policy of not sending weapons to a conflict zone.
The Netherlands also said it would sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, according to the Dutch defense ministry.
5. The Ultimate Winners in Ukraine are the World’s Arms Merchants
22 March 2022 | Thalif Deen | Indepth News
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The war in Ukraine may not be a head-on conflict between Russia and the United States but it is certainly a battle between the heavily-stocked military arsenals of two of the world’s major military and nuclear powers.
At a press briefing March 22, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was forcefully explicit when he said the war in Ukraine “is unwinnable”.
“Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. This is inevitable. The only question is: How many more lives must be lost? How many more bombs must fall? How many more Mariupols must be destroyed?”
“How many more Ukrainians and Russians will be killed before everyone realizes that this war has no winners—only losers?” he asked.
But judging by the staggering array of weapons deployed since the Russian invasion on February 24, the ultimate winners will likely be the world’s arms merchants, as defense stocks have been rising against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
Armed with Western weapons systems, mostly from the US, the Ukrainian armed forces are giving the Russians a run for their rubles. But Russia’s military forces are armed with some of the most sophisticated weapons compared with Ukraine, including hypersonic missiles deployed for the first the time March 19.
Still, the Biden administration, which is trying to boost the Ukrainian military, has authorized an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine bringing the total to more than $2.0 billion, which is part of a hefty $13 billion US aid package, both military and humanitarian.
US President Joe Biden, who called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a war criminal” and “thug” announced a new security assistance package that includes 800 anti-aircraft systems, “primarily to stop attacking planes and helicopters before they destroy more of Ukraine”; 9,000 anti-armour systems to destroy tanks and armored vehicles; 7,000 small arms, including machine guns and grenade launchers; and 20 million rounds of ammunition.
At a press briefing March 19, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We’re also helping Ukraine acquire longer-range anti-aircraft systems and munitions, at President Zelenskyy’s request. And I have been in almost daily contact with Foreign Minister Kuleba, coordinating to respond swiftly to Ukraine’s most urgent needs.”
Blinken also told reporters that “our allies and partners continue to step up with their own significant shipments of security assistance. I’ve authorized more than a dozen countries to provide US-origin equipment, and dozens more around the world have provided security assistance of their own.”
“I’d also note that, in addition to assistance from the Department of Defense, we’re sending support from other agencies, including $10 million worth of armored vehicles from our own Diplomatic Security Service,” he noted.
As for weapons from Western powers, the New York Times said March 3: The Dutch are sending rocket launchers for air defense. The Estonians are sending Javelin antitank missiles. The Poles and the Latvians are sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The Czechs are sending machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Even formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland are sending weapons. And Germany, long allergic to sending weapons into conflict zones, is sending Stingers as well as other shoulder-launched rockets.
In all, the Times pointed out, about 20 countries—mostly members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), but not all, are supplying arms to Ukraine.
Britain’s gift was the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAWs), a product of the Swedish-based Saab, but which is assembled in a factory in Belfast.
According to the New York Times, Britain has sent 4,200 NLAWs to Ukraine, a weapon described as “one of the best short range defensive anti-tank weapons around”.
All these weapons supplied to Ukraine—mostly as military or security assistance—have to be replaced by the donor nations sooner or later.
Dr Natalie J. Goldring, a Visiting Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, told IDN the US government is walking an extremely fine line —trying to defend Ukraine without being drawn into direct conflict with Russia. There are so many ways this could go badly.
“The US government seems to have assumed that its declared objective of helping Ukraine defend itself will be viewed in that light by Russian President Putin. Instead, Russia is viewing US and NATO weapons transfers as offensive acts. Undertaking transfers of defensive weapons is probably a risk worth taking, but it’s important to consider the possible consequences and try to decrease the associated risks,” she said.
Although much of the focus has been on conventional weapons for example, Russia’s President Putin has already brought possible nuclear weapons use into the conflict by increasing the readiness of Russian nuclear forces.
The risk of nuclear use because of accident, miscalculation, or President Putin’s desire to “win” the war is unacceptably high, said Dr Goldring who also represents the Acronym Institute at the United Nations on conventional weapons and arms trade issues.
“We should learn from the current instability and fear of Russian nuclear weapons use. This should strengthen the world’s understanding of the need for nuclear disarmament and the full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Nuclear weapons can only exacerbate this conflict and risk enormous loss of life; they have no useful role,” she noted.
Analysts often draw a distinction between offensive and defensive weapons. Ukraine is a strong example of why the best answer to fighting a tank is often not another tank. In Ukraine’s case, they’re using anti-tank weapons effectively to defend themselves against Russian attacks, in a situation where they’re vastly out-armed.
“The immediate pressure to help arm Ukrainian forces to defend themselves is intense. But it is also important to remember to think about the longer term. The US supplied Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to the mujahideen in Afghanistan and was subsequently unable to account for many of them”, warned Dr Goldring.
“In the rush to get weapons to Ukrainian forces, it’s not clear what the safeguards are. Who will be making sure these weapons get to their intended recipients? How will we keep these weapons from falling into Russian hands?”
And once again, she pointed out, the incentives are powerful for the US weapons manufacturers to continue to be actively involved in selling weapons wherever the US government permits.
“It’s not surprising that Raytheon and Lockheed Martin’s stock prices have surged since the Russian invasion,” Dr Goldring said.
On February 28, the London Guardian ran story under the headline: “Defense and cybersecurity stocks climb amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.
Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were cited as registering increases in their share prices in the stock market.
Meanwhile, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effect in populated areas heightens the likelihood of unlawful, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks. These weapons have a large destructive radius, are inherently inaccurate, or deliver multiple munitions at the same time.
“Long-term effects of their use include damage to civilian buildings and critical infrastructure, interference with services such as health care and education, and displacement of the local population.”
HRW said Russia and Ukraine should avoid using explosive weapons in populated areas.
Every country, including Russia and Ukraine, should support a strong political declaration that includes a commitment to avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effect in populated areas.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing March 21, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said “since February 24, more than 10 million people have been forced from their homes in search of safety and security – nearly a quarter of the population of Ukraine”.
This includes an estimated 6.5 million men, women and children who are internally displaced, and that’s according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and nearly 3.5 million people who have crossed international borders out of Ukraine as refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Humanitarian organizations are concerned about the risk of trafficking and sexual exploitation and IOM has scaled up its trafficking prevention measures, providing verified and safe information to refugees and third-country nationals on the move. IOM has also reinforced its regional hotlines to help people with important safety and resource information.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has verified six additional reports of attacks on health care in Ukraine yesterday. As of 20 March, WHO has verified 52 attacks on health care in 25 days. [IDN-InDepthNews – 22 March 2022]
Thalif Deen is a former Director, Foreign Military Markets at Defense Marketing Services; Senior Defense Analyst at Forecast International; and military editor Middle East/Africa at Jane’s Information Group, US.
