The UK is stepping up its military support for Ukraine by sending helicopters and ammunition to the country, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said.
Two British military Sea Kings are on their way to Ukraine while one has already arrived, the Financial Times understands. They will provide search and rescue capabilities, the UK Ministry of Defence said.
The helicopters are the first piloted aircraft given by the UK to Ukraine since Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his all-out invasion in February. Few countries have provided aircraft to the country, although Ukraine has pleaded with western allies for fighter jets to defend its skies from Russian attacks.
The Royal Navy provided a six-week training programme on the Sea Kings in the UK for 10 crews of Ukrainian soldiers and engineers, the Ministry of Defence said.
The UK will also provide an additional 10,000 artillery rounds to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, Wallace said.
Wallace announced the support on a visit to Norway where he is set to meet the Northern Group of defence ministers on board the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to discuss further support for Ukraine, as well as Sweden and Finland’s Nato membership applications.
“Our support for Ukraine is unwavering. These additional artillery rounds will help Ukraine to secure the land it has reclaimed from Russia in recent weeks,” Wallace said.
The new batch of defence assistance comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced £50mn more in aid on a surprise weekend visit to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The UK will also supply winter kit to Ukraine’s troops on the 1,000km-long frontline as temperatures have plunged below freezing in many parts of the country.
The ministry said that heavy duty sleeping bags and roll mats, together with heated accommodation and personal winter clothing, “will help to prevent cold-related injuries and ensure troops can operate effectively and efficiently”.
Separately, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would build thousands of shelters to provide electricity, heating, water and the internet after weeks of Russian missile strikes on infrastructure that have triggered nationwide blackouts.
Calling them “points of invincibility”, Zelenskyy said that 4,000 shelters had already been prepared while more were planned.
Russian missile and drone strikes have damaged 50 per cent of electricity infrastructure in recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have said, making blackouts likely throughout the winter and disrupting other services such as the internet.
“I am sure, by helping each other, we will all be able to get through this winter together,” Zelenskyy said.
The president also said that a newborn baby was killed overnight in a Russian missile attack on the maternity ward of Vilnyansk hospital in the southern Zaporizhzhia province. The mother and doctor were pulled alive from the rubble.
The European parliament on Wednesday adopted the symbolic resolution of designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, citing Moscow’s strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters as violations of international law.
Additional reporting by Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe in London
