Tag: Ukraine

Slovakia buys Black Hawk helicopters, leaving Vipers up for grabs

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WARSAW, Poland — After months of pondering, Slovakia has decided to purchase 12 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for its military, according to Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák. The move could encourage Ukraine to intensify its lobbying in Washington as Kyiv seeks the 12 AH-1Z Viper helos that Bratislava rejected.

The Black Hawk offer, comprising second-hand modernized copters, was submitted by Ace Aeronautics which is part of the Helicopter Alliance group, local daily Denník N reported. The group is controlled by Czech entrepreneur Jaroslav Strnad, the founder and former owner of local defense group Czechoslovak Group. The holding is currently owned by the founder’s son Michal Strnad, and operates a number of production facilities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Black Hawks were recently offered to Bratislava for around €150 million ($158 million) without weapons, compared with the Vipers’ revised price which exceeded €550 million, according to the minister. The Black Hawk is manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary Sikorsky, and the Viper is produced by Bell.

In July 2024, the U.S. State Department authorized a tentative foreign military sale of 12 Vipers to Slovakia for an estimated $600 million. This represented a sizable increase compared with the initial $340 million price tag pitched to the previous Slovak cabinet. That discount resulted from the fact that a deal with Pakistan, the initially envisioned recipient of the copters, had fallen through.

Slovakia’s previous government was offered discounted Vipers under the country’s attack helicopter program, but the government that took over power in October 2023 has long hesitated over the purchase.

A senior industry official close to the talks told Defense News that Ukrainian decision-makers requested the Vipers from Washington some 20 months ago, and the latest decision is likely to further intensify Kyiv’s lobbying activities to secure the aircraft.

“They’d have been flying them by now,” the official said in a reference to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Slovak military has a fleet of nine UH-60 Black Hawks.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

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12/18/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,025
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Here is the situation on Sunday, December 15:

Fighting
- Russia has begun using North Korean troops in significant numbers for the first time to conduct assaults on Ukrainian forces battling to hold an enclave in the country’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
- Ukraine’s air defences shot down 58 of 132 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. It said 72 Russian drones were “lost” due to the use of electronic warfare interference tactics. There were no immediate reports of damage.
- Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Ministry of Defence announced. Thirteen of the drones were downed over the Black Sea and one each over the Russian border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, it added.
- A nine-year-old child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Two other people, including another child, were injured in the attack.
A Ukrainian serviceman and drone pilot of the 12th Special Operations Brigade ‘Azov’ inspects a Ukrainian unmanned aerial system before an aerial reconnaissance mission in Donetsk [Maria Senovilla/EPA]
- Ukrainian drones carried out an attack on the Steel Horse oil facility in Russia’s Oryol region which is a crucial source of fuel supplies for Russian troops, Ukraine’s military announced.
- Ukrainian drones struck a “fuel infrastructure facility” in Orlov, the local governor said, causing a fire to break out. Governor Andrei Klychkov said 11 drones had been shot down over the region. No casualties were reported.
Politics and diplomacy
- Zelenskyy said he had instructed his government to set up mechanisms to supply food to Syria in the aftermath of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. Since al-Assad’s fall, Russia’s wheat export to Syria has been suspended.
- Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, 54, has been appointed to head the operational and tactical group Donetsk, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the military announced, as Russia makes swift advances in the Donetsk region.
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12/15/2024
Pentagon chief Austin announces $1 billion in long-term Ukraine aid

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SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The U.S. is sending Ukraine another $1 billion in long-term security aid, nearly half of the budget left in the Pentagon’s account.

This $988 million package will come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through which the U.S. buys new equipment for Ukraine rather than shipping kit directly from American stocks. As of last week, the U.S. had just over $2 billion left in the fund.

The latest round will go toward rocket munitions, drones and equipment needed to repair weapons within Ukraine.

“America and our friends have become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Austin announced the package at the Reagan National Defense Forum, a national security talkfest in California he’s attended all four years in office. During his speech, he defended the Biden Pentagon’s legacy, which has in large part been defined by its support for Ukraine.

After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Austin helped form a group of countries that coordinates assistance to Kyiv. America has since sent more than $62 billion in security aid, alongside $57 billion more from its partners.

Such support is coming at increased cost for Russia. Austin said that its military has suffered 700,000 casualties, a number that is accelerating even as Moscow continues to make slight gains in Ukraine’s east.

Multiple European political and defense officials — from Sweden to Lithuania — are with Austin at the forum making the case for continued aid to lawmakers and people who will staff the incoming Trump administration.

Austin referenced the uncertainty around this transition in his remarks. The president-elect has urged an end to the war in Ukraine, though without committing to an outcome.

“We can continue to stand up to the Kremlin, or we can let Putin have his way — and condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a world of chaos and conflict,” Austin said.

“This administration has made its choice, and so has a bipartisan coalition in Congress,” he added. “The next administration must make its own choice.”

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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12/08/2024
Russia, Turkiye, Iran want ‘immediate end’ to fighting in Syria: Lavrov

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said he, along with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, are calling for “an end to hostile activities” in Syria, where opposition fighters have made a rapid advance in a major challenge to President Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking to Al Jazeera at the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital on Saturday, Lavrov said Russia, Iran and Turkiye expressed support for “dialogue between the government and legitimate opposition” in Syria.

The three countries have been involved since 2017 in the so-called Astana Format talks seeking a political settlement in Syria, and their top diplomats – Lavrov, Iran’s Abbas Araghchi and Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan met in a trilateral format on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.

“We called for [an] immediate end to hostile activities. We stated, all of us, that we want the [United Nations] Resolution 2254 to be fully implemented, and for this purpose, called for the dialogue between the government and legitimate opposition,” Lavrov said.

Syria-led process

Resolution 2254 (PDF) outlines a commitment to the “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” of Syria and says the only solution to the years-long conflict will be through “an inclusive and Syrian-led political process”.

Asked whether Moscow – a key backer of al-Assad and the Syrian army – believes the Syrian president can hang on to power, Lavrov said he was “not in the business of guessing”.

“We agreed today with Iran and Turkiye to issue a strong call, which I described, and we will be doing some specific steps to make sure that this call is heeded,” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs @HakanFidan attended the Astana-format meeting at the 22nd Doha Forum, with his Iranian and Russian counterparts. 🇹🇷🇮🇷🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/1lA7HIg4XL

— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) December 7, 2024

Lavrov’s comments came as fighters led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) armed group have made a lightning advance in Syria over days, taking control of key cities, including Aleppo and Hama.

Late on Friday, the rebels said they had reached the edge of Homs, a strategic city linking the capital Damascus to coastal parts of the country where al-Assad enjoys support from the Alawite community.

In a post on Telegram on Saturday afternoon, an opposition commander said the HTS-led group’s forces had begun “operations” inside Homs.

Opposition fighters have also made gains in Deraa and Sweida, in southwestern Syria near the border with Jordan, and taken control of some towns in the Damascus countryside.

‘Much weaker’

Reporting from Kilis, near Turkiye’s border with Syria, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the Syrian government has lost control of a majority of the country’s territory.

“We are seeing a Syrian government that is much weaker than in 2016, when it was backed strongly by Russia, by Iran, by [Lebanese group] Hezbollah on the ground,” he said.

“Russians are extremely busy in Ukraine. They have withdrawn a majority of their military equipment and personnel from the Khmeimim airbase [in Syria] to Ukraine,” Serdar explained, while Iran and Hezbollah have also been embroiled in fighting against Israel.

“All of these factors have created such a vacuum.”

At Saturday’s Doha Forum, Lavrov said Russia was “absolutely convinced of the inadmissibility to use terrorists like HTS to achieve geopolitical purposes”.

“We’re trying to do everything not to allow terrorists to prevail; even if they say they are no longer terrorists,” he said.

Downplaying fears

Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the Russian foreign minister “was trying to project an image of strength and being in control”.

“He was trying to downplay fears that al-Assad’s regime in Syria is on the imminent brink of collapse, instead talking about how he’s doing all he can to promote the sovereignty of Syria and to try to stabilise the situation,” he told Al Jazeera.

Ramani said the opposition forces’ rapid advance appears to have caught Moscow off-guard.

“They have been watching and they have been spectators just like us to what’s unfolding in Syria, and they don’t really seem to have a very clear game plan to keep al-Assad in power.”

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12/07/2024
BAE wins $2.5B deal to supply more CV90 vehicles to Denmark, Sweden

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BAE Systems has won a new $2.5 billion contract to build more CV90 combat vehicles for Denmark and Sweden, the company announced Friday.

Denmark has ordered 115 new CV9035 MkIIICs, and Sweden is acquiring 50 new vehicles.

The deal also includes financing more vehicles bound for Ukraine. Sweden has already sent 50 CV90s to the country as it continues to stave off Russian forces. The two countries together, a year ago, announced plans to send more CV90s to Ukraine.

The Netherlands has also contributed funds to send CV90s to Ukraine with the first of its Dutch-built combat vehicles planned to reach the country in 2026.

Denmark’s order more than triples its current CV90 inventory of 40 vehicles, bringing the total to 155.

“The infantry fighting vehicle is an essential component of the heavy brigade we are currently building. The 115 new vehicles will significantly enhance Denmark’s contribution to collective security and international operations,” Maj. Gen. Peter Boysen, chief of the Royal Danish Army, said in the statement.

The CV90 variant on order is built using the same standard as the latest CV90 upgrades for the Netherlands, BAE noted in the statement, which comes with a new turret, providing “a leap forward in design and functionality.”

BAE has built a total of 1,900 vehicles with 17 variants for 10 European countries, eight of which are NATO members.

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

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12/06/2024
Estonia proposes agreement to buy Ukrainian weapons

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WARSAW, Poland — Estonia’s authorities are showing interest in combat-proven weapons from Ukraine, including long-range missiles, and hope to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian government to facilitate arms purchases despite Kyiv’s ban on exports by its own defense industry.

Under Ukraine’s law, the country’s defense companies are obliged to deliver their entire output to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The nation’s lawmakers and government officials are currently discussing ways to share the sector’s products with allies, and countries such as Estonia are following the talks. During his visit to Ukraine last month, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that various weapons, including the R-360 Neptune subsonic cruise missile developed by State Kyiv Design Bureau Luch, could be of interest to his country’s military.

Eleka Rugam-Rebane a spokesperson for the Estonian Ministry of Defence, told Defense News that bilateral agreements could be implemented to give allies access to weapons whose “value and quality mark … is certainly based on their combat experience.”

“Export bans will not pose a barrier if countries reach mutual agreements, and such cooperation would benefit both Estonian and Ukrainian defense industries,” she said.

“Our defense industries already have a solid working relationship: many Estonian companies are active in Ukraine, and we equally encourage all Ukrainian companies to participate in public tenders in Estonia,” said Rugam-Rebane. “We hope that Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to participate in public tenders not only in Estonia but also in other international markets relevant to them.”

Even a partial relaxation of the export ban could generate a significant stream of income for the Ukrainian economy as it is combating Russia’s ongoing invasion. Speaking in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on Sept. 5, lawmaker Halyna Yanchenko said the country’s defense sector is able to manufacture products worth some $20 billion annually.

“At the same time, the state is able to purchase weapons for only $6 billion, this includes purchases from abroad. We are slowing down the development of a strategic industry through export restrictions,” Yanchenko said.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

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11/15/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 991

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As the war enters its 991st day, these are the main developments.

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11/12/2024
8,000 North Korean troops likely to join Ukraine war in ‘coming days’

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Only weeks after arriving in Russia, around 8,000 North Korean troops have deployed in the western region of Kursk, where they will soon join the fight against Ukraine, senior U.S. officials said Thursday.

These troops have trained with the Russian military on infantry missions — including the use of artillery and drones and clearing trenches. Some have received Russian uniforms and equipment, U.S. officials said.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press briefing.

Blinken spoke alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts, visiting Washington this week. Just hours before, North Korea conducted its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, which Japan’s government said marked an advance in Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

The deployment to Kursk will stress Ukraine’s already tense defensive lines. Russia is suffering around 1,250 casualties a day in its offensives across the front, Austin said, but has kept gaining territory, now at a faster pace.

Still, Austin said Ukraine can keep defending the land it seized earlier this year in Kursk and hold steady elsewhere — with such high casualties per day, even 10,000 troops won’t last long, he argued.

“This 10,000 won’t come close to replacing the numbers that the Russians have lost,” Austin said.

The U.S. will announce more security aid to Ukraine within days, he continued, adding to the more than $60 billion in assistance already sent.

Meanwhile, North Korea is also continuing its military support for Russia with equipment, having provided hundreds of thousands of munitions and more than 1,000 missiles during the war, South Korea’s defense minister said in the press conference. In return, he said Wednesday at the Pentagon, North Korea will likely ask for Russian nuclear and military technology.

Given the U.S. has no direct relations with North Korea, and extensive sanctions already imposed on the country, it has little influence to stop Pyongyang’s assistance. Still, senior U.S. officials, including some in the State Department, have spoken with counterparts in China, urging it to intervene, Blinken said.

“They know well the concerns that we have and the expectation is that … they’ll use the influence that they have to work to curb these activities. So, we’ll see if they take action,” Blinken said, without specifying what channel the U.S. used to speak with China’s government.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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11/01/2024
North Korean troops likely to join Ukraine war, Pentagon says

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that he expects North Korean troops that have deployed to Russia to join the war against Ukraine, a step he warned could expand the conflict.

In the last month, North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to eastern Russia, where they began training across three military sites. Around 2,000 of these troops have since moved west, with some receiving Russian uniforms and equipment. A smaller group has already entered the region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces seized land earlier this fall.

“There’s a good likelihood that these groups will be introduced into combat,” Austin said Wednesday, speaking alongside South Korea’s defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, who was visiting Washington.

Since publicly confirming last week that North Korea had sent forces into Russia, the Pentagon has warned Pyongyang against joining the nearly three-year war. After decades of chilly relations — including years of Russia trying to limit North Korea’s nuclear program — the two countries have warmed to each other following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea has helped supply Russia’s military with munitions and other military equipment during the war, and their two leaders have held multiple in-person summits. American officials have grown concerned about what Pyongyang is receiving in return.

That barter likely includes Russia transferring advanced technology on tactical nuclear weapons, reconnaissance satellites, intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear submarines, said Kim, the South Korean defense minister.

“There’s also a high chance that they will try to replace their equipment” that may have grown obsolete, Kim said.

The U.S. does not have direct relations with North Korea and already has a raft of sanctions imposed on the country. Austin said the administration is working with allies on how to respond to the deployment, though he wouldn’t specify how.

“It does have the potential of lengthening the conflict or broadening the conflict if that continues,” Austin said of these troops fighting alongside Russia. If they do, he said, they would be fair targets for Ukrainian soldiers, including with American-provided weapons.

Pentagon and White House officials have argued that the deployment is a sign of “desperation” from Russia, which is suffering immense and accelerating casualties in Ukraine’s east — more than 1,000 per day with more than 600,000 during the whole war.

Austin went further Wednesday, saying the Kremlin is now asking Pyongyang for manpower to avoid another draft. Russia has been able to replace much of its losses through recruitment drives, offering higher pay and pensions, but a mobilization could be politically unpopular.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t want to mobilize, because then the people in Russia will begin to understand the extent of his losses, of their losses,” Austin said.

After Russian advances toward the key eastern city of Pokrovsk this fall, Ukraine’s defenses have held. Still, Ukraine is also taking heavy losses and has a much smaller population, making them harder to replace.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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10/31/2024
North Korean troops likely to join Ukraine war, Pentagon says

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that he expects North Korean troops that have deployed to Russia to join the war against Ukraine, a step he warned could expand the conflict.

In the last month, North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to eastern Russia, where they began training across three military sites. Around 2,000 of these troops have since moved west, with some receiving Russian uniforms and equipment. A smaller group has already entered the region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces seized land earlier this fall.

“There’s a good likelihood that these groups will be introduced into combat,” Austin said Wednesday, speaking alongside South Korea’s defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, who was visiting Washington.

Since publicly confirming last week that North Korea had sent forces into Russia, the Pentagon has warned Pyongyang against joining the nearly three-year war. After decades of chilly relations — including years of Russia trying to limit North Korea’s nuclear program — the two countries have warmed to each other following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea has helped supply Russia’s military with munitions and other military equipment during the war, and their two leaders have held multiple in-person summits. American officials have grown concerned about what Pyongyang is receiving in return.

That barter likely includes Russia transferring advanced technology on tactical nuclear weapons, reconnaissance satellites, intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear submarines, said Kim, the South Korean defense minister.

“There’s also a high chance that they will try to replace their equipment” that may have grown obsolete, Kim said.

The U.S. does not have direct relations with North Korea and already has a raft of sanctions imposed on the country. Austin said the administration is working with allies on how to respond to the deployment, though he wouldn’t specify how.

“It does have the potential of lengthening the conflict or broadening the conflict if that continues,” Austin said of these troops fighting alongside Russia. If they do, he said, they would be fair targets for Ukrainian soldiers, including with American-provided weapons.

Pentagon and White House officials have argued that the deployment is a sign of “desperation” from Russia, which is suffering immense and accelerating casualties in Ukraine’s east — more than 1,000 per day with more than 600,000 during the whole war.

Austin went further Wednesday, saying the Kremlin is now asking Pyongyang for manpower to avoid another draft. Russia has been able to replace much of its losses through recruitment drives, offering higher pay and pensions, but a mobilization could be politically unpopular.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t want to mobilize, because then the people in Russia will begin to understand the extent of his losses, of their losses,” Austin said.

After Russian advances toward the key eastern city of Pokrovsk this fall, Ukraine’s defenses have held. Still, Ukraine is also taking heavy losses and has a much smaller population, making them harder to replace.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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10/31/2024