Dynamic Incentive Program in February** Following Ukraine's plan to build 1 million drones this year, NATO announced that they want to catch up with that number.
NATO defense ministers met today in Brussels to discuss defense investments and propose a united front of the alliance, and the issue of Ukraine became an important topic. For Kyiv, one of the highlights of the day was the announcement by NATO allies of plans to jointly provide Ukraine with 1 million drones this year.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the alliance, said: "A group of allies is working together with the goal of delivering 1 million drones to Ukraine. ”
The two countries leading the alliance, Latvia and the United Kingdom, provided more details on the drone program.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps announced the creation of a coalition of drone capabilities, stating the following:
I am proud to announce that the UK and Latvia will jointly lead an international coalition to build Ukraine's vital drone capabilities. ”
Together, we will provide Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to defend itself and win this war to ensure that Putin's illegitimate and brutal ambitions are frustrated. ”
It's no secret that drones play a vital role in warfare for both sides and in all areas. In addition to repeatedly emphasizing the importance of drones to its operations, Ukraine** has warned that Russia has far more such systems than its own, with significant differences in the widely used first-person view (FPV). Type.
To address this imbalance, Ukraine has stated that its goal is to produce 1 million drones domestically by 2024, an ambitious plan.
At the moment, there are still doubts about whether Ukraine (not to mention the NATO alliance) will be able to produce such a large number of UAVs in a relatively short time. However, it is clear that the importance of all types of drones on the battlefield in Ukraine shows no signs of diminishing.
Ahead of today's meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, U.S.** candidate Donald Trump warned that he would not defend other NATO members if they failed to meet their spending targets.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that "we are on the right track" when it comes to defense investment. "Today, we have accelerated work on the provision of resources for new defense programs and the strengthening of our transatlantic defense industrial base. ”
Notably, the NATO leader said that by 2024, European NATO allies will invest the equivalent of 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in defense for the first time. That's the equivalent of $380 billion.
As Europe becomes increasingly concerned about political developments in the United States, especially Trump's criticism of its defense spending, it is not surprising that they have made an effort to emphasize their investment in the alliance.
For example, French Defense Minister Sebastien Le Cornu said that France's defense spending this year will reach two percent of GDP. Germany's mission to NATO posted on social media that Germany had "provided an important military gesture" to the alliance.
At the same time, in the face of Trump's criticism, Stoltenberg took the opportunity to promote the attributes of the alliance. He said:
MeThe United States is expected to continue to be a staunch ally for at least three reasons: First, it is in America's best interest to have a strong NATO. Second, NATO actually enjoys broad bipartisan support in the United States. Thirdly, the criticism of the United States is not primarily directed at NATO, but at the fact that NATO allies are not investing enough money in NATO. ”
I believe," Stoltenberg added, "that NATO will remain the strongest and most successful alliance in history." ”
Stoltenberg admits that in the past, NATO's European allies have failed to invest enough money on behalf of the alliance. However, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the security situation has been constantly changing, with defense spending in Canada and Europe increasing significantly.
NATO secretary general also appears to have downplayed concerns expressed by some senior sources that a bold Russia may seek to invade alliance members in the coming years.
We can never take peace for granted," Stoltenberg said, "but we do not see an imminent military threat against the alliance." ”
"NATO will continue to ensure that Moscow does not misjudge our readiness to protect all our allies," he added. ”
As for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said that supporting Kyiv's war efforts "is not charity" and that helping the country "is an investment in our own security."
Stoltenberg said
We will talk about how to maintain support for Ukraine. We see our support working on the battlefield every day. Just yesterday, the Ukrainians successfully attacked a Russian sea ** boat, which shows the skill and ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to deliver deep strikes on the Russian rear. ”
Stoltenberg also raised the issue of ammunition stocks in Ukraine and the NATO alliance, as NATO member states have been trying to meet the huge needs triggered by the war, especially for artillery shells.
A Ukrainian soldier holds artillery ammunition near the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war "In order to ensure that Ukraine gets the **, supplies and ammunition it needs, we need to increase production," he said. "Since we agreed on a defense investment plan, NATO allies have agreed and signed contracts worth 10 billion euros over the past few months to get more orders from different sectors of the transatlantic defense industry. ”
The need for ammunition is reflected in two recent efforts in Scandinavia.
According to reports, Norwegian-Finnish ammunition producer Nammo is currently operating a five-shift production at its plant in Sweden, ensuring round-the-clock production of 155mm ammunition. Also located in Sweden is the French-owned company Euroenco, which has a similar production plan at its plant in Karlskoga.
On the battlefield, there are further reports that the situation in Avdiivka, in the eastern region of Donetsk, is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to maintain.
A Ukrainian serviceman of the 47th Mechanized Brigade is preparing to drive an M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle for a fight, Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lihovi said Ukraine is currently conducting exercises in Avdiivka with the aim of withdrawing troops from some areas to "more advantageous positions".
Lihovi added that Ukraine has established a backup logistics route to the town, but it is "difficult" to deliver supplies to Avdiivka and evacuate from there.
In related news, the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, appears to be giving an interview for the first time since taking office.
It is noteworthy that Syrsky spoke about the fact that the conflict has entered a new phase, and that Ukraine is conducting defensive, not offensive, operations. This seems to be the final blow of the ** launched by Ukraine last summer, but since then only very limited results have been achieved.
Syrsky's other main conclusions include assessing that Russia's losses are seven to eight times greater than those of Ukraine. This is reflected in the different tactics between the fighters, and the Ukrainian army is said to be willing to retreat from positions rather than sacrificing large numbers of personnel, which is already evident in Avdiivka, **Mut and elsewhere.
Syrsky reiterated: "We must end the war through the border. No other options are considered, because we simply have no other way out. ”
For Ukrainian and Russian soldiers on the ground, winter may soon be over, but the situation is still as tough as ever, if not harder, and the ice and snow in some areas have turned into almost impassable mud.
Ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Russia launched another massive missile attack on Ukrainian targets. Overnight, an aerial alert was issued across the country. According to Ukraine, two dozen cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were launched, including missiles launched from Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers.
Lviv, Ukraine, after a missile strike, the windows of a multi-storey residential building were broken According to reports, Dnipro was hit by a missile strike, and shortly after 6:00 a.m., a series of ** sounds were heard in the city center. There have also been reports of ** happening in Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and the western city of Lviv. The mayor of Lviv, Andrei Sadovi, said that there were 10 Russian missiles against the Lviv region alone.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) supplied by North Korea was one of the first launched by Russia overnight.
Ukraine has also been continuing missile strikes on targets in the Russian border areas, in particular the city of Belgorod in the region of the same name. The city has been hit by several Ukrainian attacks in recent months, with Russia saying today that at least six people have been killed in the latest attack.
Regional Governor Vyachesl** Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app that in addition to the 6 confirmed deaths, 18 people were injured in Belgorod, five of them children. Russia's TASS news agency also reported that 15 people were hospitalized.
Poland reiterated that it may seek to deploy nuclear ** in the coming years to further strengthen its defense capabilities against the Russian threat.
In a radio interview, the Polish brigadier general. Jarosław Kraszewski said that it is entirely possible for Poland to join NATO's nuclear ** sharing program.
I think that having such an arsenal is a multi-year task. I hope this will happen," Krazewski said, adding that "peace and security are priceless." ”
Last summer, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that, as we discussed at the time, Poland wanted to join NATO nuclear ** sharing. Allegedly, this is a direct response to Russia's deployment of part of its nuclear power to neighboring Belarus.
The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed in its latest defence intelligence update that Ukraine successfully attacked the Russian Ropcha-class landing ship Kaiser Kunikov yesterday. The attack again successfully made use of unmanned surface ships, and you can read our full report on the incident here.
The British Ministry of Defense said the attack "almost certainly led to the sinking of the ship."
The report adds that three of the 10 Rocha-class ships of the " Black Sea Fleet] have now been destroyed by Ukrainian attacks. ”
Ukraine** Zelensky thanked Australia for funding to strengthen Ukraine's defense capability.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "Australia remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion. We stand with Ukraine to support its brave people and defend the fundamental principle that every sovereign state has the right to remain secure within its own borders and to determine its own future. ”
According to Ukraine, the Avenger short-range air defense system provided by the United States is one of the most popular in its class, especially when dealing with the threat of Russian drones.
The Humvee-based Avenger system is taken from the U.S. ** stockpile, which can launch Stinger heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles and use an on-board 050 caliber machine guns attack air and ground targets. While it has reportedly successfully defended against dozens of Iranian-made drones used to attack Ukraine, the Avenger itself has also been hit by smaller, more nimble Lancet hovering munitions, shown below.