WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
US sends seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine
The U.S. has transferred to Ukraine thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized more than a year ago as they were being shipped by Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The hardware sent last week is the latest military assistance that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has provided to Kyiv for its fight to retake territory occupied by Russia.
Democrat Biden has been blocked from providing further U.S. weaponry to Kyiv by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson's refusal to call a vote on $60 billion in new security assistance.
With Ukrainian forces running low on weapons and munitions, especially heavy artillery rounds, the United States and its allies have been searching for new ways to arm Kyiv.
The weaponry transferred by the United States to Kyiv on April 4 "constituted enough materiel to equip" a Ukrainian brigade, U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on social media platform X.
An infantry brigade typically comprises 3,500 to 4,000 troops, but the exact numbers were not known.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations said, “We cannot comment on weapons and armaments that have never belonged to us.”
CENTCOM said the hardware included more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition.
The munitions were taken from four "stateless" vessels intercepted by U.S. naval ships and those of partner forces - which were not identified - between May 22, 2021 and Feb. 15, 2023, CENTCOM said.
The weapons were being sent by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis, CENTCOM said.
** US to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades
The United States will sell Ukraine up to $138 million worth of equipment to maintain and upgrade its HAWK air defense systems to help defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, a U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The U.S. began shipping HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine in 2022 as an upgrade to the shoulder-launched Stinger air defense missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range system.
Since then, Ukraine has received several air defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot system.
Tuesday's emergency foreign military sale is worth as much as $138 million, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Although Ukraine has run out of many sources of U.S. funds, Kyiv was given a grant of $300 million in foreign military financing as part of the annual defense spending bill recently signed into law. The grant money will be used to pay for the equipment, which includes engineering and integration for communications and refurbishment of HAWK fire units.
In addition, the sale includes missile recertification components for older units, tools, test and support equipment, spare parts and more.
The sale will require temporary-duty travel to Europe of an estimated five U.S. government employees and 15 contractor representatives to support training and sustainment, the official said. Presidential drawdown authority had been used previously to transfer HAWK equipment to Ukraine. That provision allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from American stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.
The MIM-23 HAWK - a name that began life as an acronym for "Homing All the Way Killer" - was first introduced in the 1950s as the U.S. military sought ways to defeat raids by high-flying strategic bombers. It was upgraded over the years to deal with jamming and other countermeasures, and eventually exported to more than a dozen countries, according the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command.
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Over 30 Ukrainian howitzers destroyed in single strike
A Russian missile appears to have hit a Ukrainian depot, obliterating more than two dozen artillery pieces in one hit, drone footage which emerged online on Tuesday shows.
Surveillance drone footage circulating online shows some 32 Soviet-era D-20 howitzers, stockpiled in the open in a tight formation.
While it was not immediately clear when the strike was carried out, it apparently targeted a military facility near the Ukrainian city of Akhtyrka in Sumy Region, which borders Russia.
The strike appears to have obliterated and blown away most of the howitzers, with only a few left standing. The explosion also left a nearby hangar badly damaged, the video shows.
It was not immediately clear whether the howitzers were operational before the strike, given that they were left in a large group and open to the elements. However, even dilapidated artillery pieces can be a valuable military asset, serving as parts donors for their operational counterparts or as decoys on the frontline.
** Russian troops pummel Ukrainian army, equipment in 131 areas over past day
Russian troops inflicted casualties on the Ukrainian army and military hardware in 131 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
"Operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a radar station and inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s manpower and military equipment in 131 areas," the ministry said in a statement.
Reuters/RT/Tass
