UK Announces Supply of Hundreds of Anti-aircraft Missiles to Ukraine after Massive Russian Attack
After a massive Russian attack on Ukraine on the night of Friday 28-29 December, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, announced the sending of "hundreds of British made air defence missiles" to Kyiv.
The British Ministry of Defence chief called the last wave of Russian strikes "a desperate and futile attempt to regain momentum after the catastrophic loss of hundreds of thousand of conscripts" coming on the eve of Putin's humiliation due to the beginning of the third year of his "three-day war."
"We continue to stand by Ukraine’s defence. Which is why today we are sending hundreds of air defence missiles to restock British gifted air defence systems capable of striking down Russian drones and missiles with incredible accuracy," he announced on Twitter (X).
Putin in testing Ukraine’s defences and the West’s resolve – now is the time for the world to come together and redouble our efforts to get Ukraine what they need to win 🇺🇦
Read my full statement on today’s attacks: pic.twitter.com/PnzFbn4a8oAdvertisement:— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) December 29, 2023
Shapps stressed that Putin is mistaken, "hoping that he can clutch victory from the jaws of defeat."
"Ukraine’s degradation of the Russian Black Sea fleet has proven it is still in this fight to win. And today’s air defence package sends an undeniable message, in the face of Russian barbarity, that the UK remains absolutely committed to supporting Ukraine," he added.
On the night of 28-29 December, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia and other cities were hit. According to the latest reports, at least 26 people were killed, and 120 others were injured.
The shelling was condemned by a number of European countries.
On the next day after the attack, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held a telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, while being in the bomb shelter of the Foreign Ministry during the air-raid alarm.