- As Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine continues on Day 17, countries across the globe, particularly the West, have offered military support to Ukraine
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday, March 12, said that Moscow had informed Washington that foreign weapons supply convoys into Ukraine “would be the legitimate targets for the Russian Military”, according to Russian media RIA Novosti.
“Convoys with weapons for Ukraine can become targets for the Russian Armed Forces,” Ryabkov said.
As Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine continues on Day 17, countries across the globe, particularly the West, have offered military support to Ukraine. The European Union said that it would finance the purchase and delivery of arms to Kyiv totalling €450 million.
Germany said that it will deliver 1,000 anti-tank launchers, 500 stinger surface-to-air missiles, 14 armoured vehicles, nine Howitzers and 10,000 tonnes of fuel to Ukraine. The US has announced a €350 million military aid package to the war-torn country, bringing the total military aid from Washington to Ukraine over the past year to around €1 billion.
Several other countries, including Norway, Denmark, Finland and Canada, have also announced military aid packages for Ukraine.
Russia accuses US of providing anti-aircraft missile systems to Kyiv
On Saturday, the chief spokesperson for Russia’s Defence Minister claimed that the US provided anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. Igor Konashenkov also informed that Moscow’s forces used a high precision strike to cripple Ukraine’s military’s key radio intelligence centre. A total of 3,491 military facilities in the war-hit country have been deactivated since Russia began its invasion of Kyiv on February 24, he said.
Additionally, 123 drones, 1,127 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, and 115 multiple launch rocket systems were also destroyed, according to the official. Moreover, high-precision weaponry was also used to disable military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, according to Russia.
On the 17th day of the invasion, the war has expanded to areas closer to NATO members Romania and Poland, with Ukrainian authorities saying that Russian airstrikes hit the cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankiivsk.
The West has been continuously ramping up economic pressure on Russia with the latest being the US and its allies downgrading Russia’s trade status to isolate Moscow for the invasion.
