“Change the course of the war”
London promises Ukraine 10,000 drones
March 8, 2024, 2:48 p.m
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Since the beginning of the war, Great Britain has been close to Ukraine. London repeatedly supports the country attacked by Russia with arms deliveries. Now the British Defense Minister is announcing the “largest military support package to date”.
The British government wants to support Ukraine with a total of 10,000 drones. This was announced by British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps after a visit to Kiev. London will increase its existing commitment of drones worth 200 million pounds to 325 million pounds (around 380 million euros), wrote Shapps on X. “Drones are changing the course of war,” he added.
It continued: “The UK has done more than ever before, with our largest military support package ever.” Shapps is also calling on other countries to ramp up their efforts. “Every nation must now do the same and ensure that freedom triumphs over tyranny,” he wrote.
According to a statement from his ministry, these are mainly so-called FPV (First Person View) drones. They can be controlled from a cockpit perspective. The British statement continued that these were successfully used to circumvent Russian air defenses and hit their targets. There are also 1,000 kamikaze drones as well as reconnaissance and sea drones.
Shapps said Ukrainian forces used British weapons to destroy nearly 30 percent of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Drones have proven to be highly effective, according to the statement. Together with Latvia, Great Britain wants to lead an international coalition to build up Ukraine’s drone capabilities.
During his visit to Kiev, the British minister also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The talks were mainly about strengthening Ukrainian air defense, meeting urgent needs for weapons and ammunition and developing joint weapons production, as Zelensky wrote on X. The President thanked the British government and people “for their leading role in supporting Ukraine and our people.”