A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Bradley fighting vehicles donated by the U.S. are now operating in Ukraine. The U.S. said it would provide 113 Bradley vehicles, but it’s unclear how many have been delivered.
Germany has tapped Rheinmetall and KMW to upgrade its Puma military vehicles as part of continuing military improvements in the wake of war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers have completed training on CAESAR self-propelled artillery systems donated by Denmark, which donated 19 systems in January.
China’s foreign minister said Beijing would not provide military assistance to Russia. Western intelligence reports suggested China had considered providing weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine. China also said it would manage the export of dual-use items. Several commercial Chinese drones have appeared in Ukraine that have been modified for military use.
Germany approved the re-export of five Polish MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would consider supplying military aid to Ukraine under certain conditions, such as if Russia launched a large-scale attack against civilians. South Korea has previously only provided economic and humanitarian support.
Kyiv rejected an offer from Iraq to serve as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. During a rare visit to Baghdad, Ukraine’s foreign minister maintained Kyiv would not enter into peace talks while Russian troops are in Ukraine.
The U.S. announced a $325 million security assistance package to Ukraine. The package includes HIMARS ammunition, artillery ammunition, TOW missiles, AT-4 anti-armor weapons, anti-tank mines, demolition munitions to clear obstacles, small arms ammunition, logistics support vehicles, precision aerial munitions, maintenance equipment, port and harbor security equipment, and spare parts and other field equipment.
The U.S. will soon begin training Ukrainian soldiers to use and maintain M1 Abrams tanks. Officials said 31 tanks will arrive in Germany at the end of May, with training beginning a couple weeks later. Training is expected to take 10 weeks. A separate batch of 31 MA1A1 tanks is being refurbished for operational use in the war.
Patriot missile systems donated by Western allies arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday. The U.S. donated one system, and Germany and the Netherlands jointly donated another.
The Ukrainian government is asking its Western allies to speed up deliveries of urgently needed surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Ukraine is facing an acute shortage of air defense missiles due to heavy attacks by Russia.
Russia has performed another drone attack on targets near Odessa. Ukrainian air defense units downed 10 of these attack drones. Russia used the Iranian-made attack drones, including the Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 systems, in this attack.
The Ukrainian military is using the Gepard Flak panzer to counter Russia’s use of Iranian-made attack drones. The Gepard is proving very effective against low-flying attack drones and missiles. Rheinmetall is working to restart ammunition production for the Gepard.
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