Defence Secretary announces further UK support to Ukrainian Armed Forces

6 March 2015 Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP

The Defence Secretary has today confirmed that the UK will provide a new package of non-lethal equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Five high-priority items will be gifted that will provide immediate benefit and help save lives.

The items to be gifted are:

• 2,000 Mark 6 helmets
• 150 helmet-mounted monocular night vision goggles (MNVGs)
• 200 global positioning units (GPS)
• 220 hardened laptops
• 1,000 first aid kits

The total value of this package is approximately £850,000, including transportation and contingency costs.

The package has been provided in response to requests from the Ukrainian Government. It is due to be delivered to Ukrainian Armed Forces over the coming weeks and is designed to increase Ukraine’s defensive capacity and awareness of tactical situations on the ground.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

The UK is committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s aggression.

This gift of non-lethal equipment is designed to prevent further Ukrainian fatalities and casualties and to help improve situational awareness on the ground. Our overall aim is to strengthen the defensive capability of the Ukrainian armed forces and build the resilience that they need.

The package is being provided alongside other short term training activities, which were announced by the Prime Minister last week. These will be delivered by UK military personnel to the Ukrainians in-country.

This support is in addition to ongoing Defence engagement activities with Ukraine. They include support on crisis management, anti-corruption, Defence reform and strategic communications. The MOD will also be delivering procurement training in the coming weeks. Over the last year the UK has provided personal protective equipment, winter fuel, medical kits, winter clothing and sleeping bags to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This prior support totals more than £1.2 million and is separate to today’s announcement.

UK policy since the start of the crisis has been to provide non-lethal assistance to Ukrainian armed forces, in line with HMG’s assessment that there must be a political solution to this crisis. The MOD will continue to focus on support and assistance that will reduce fatalities and casualties amongst members of the Ukrainian armed forces, whilst building their capacity and resilience.

The MOD is also working closely with key allies through the US / Canada / Ukraine Joint Commission for Cooperation and Defence Reform.