The United States sent 30 Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems to Ukraine in October as part of its annual military aid to help the country deter Russian aggression, the Pentagon confirmed on December 11.
The shipment also included 180 Javelin missiles, the Pentagon said in an e-mail to RFE/RL.
“The Javelins were delivered to Ukraine on Oct. 23. The United States has committed more than $450 million in security assistance to Ukraine in 2021, and this is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Anton T. Semelroth said in the e-mail.
The United States in September said it was sending Javelins to Ukraine as part of an additional $60 million military aid package. However, it did not at the time disclose the number of systems and rockets.
Javelins are lethal weapons that can pierce tank armor. The United States had previously sent Javelin systems to Ukraine to help it defend against possible Russian aggression.
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of combat-ready troops and machinery near its border with Ukraine for the second time this year, raising concerns that the Kremlin could be preparing for an invasion.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said last month during a visit to Washington that his nation’s military needs have shifted as Russian tactics have changed.
He said Ukraine needs U.S. air and naval defense systems now, adding that the nation’s ground forces were strong. Ukraine lost much of its navy when Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.
Reznikov said the United States agreed to send advisers to Ukraine to study what additional defense systems the country needed.
