- The UK to donate a fleet of 13 armoured vehicles to Ukraine
to rescue civilians from besieged areas.
- Vehicles will also transport key workers to rebuild vital
infrastructure
- The delivery of the highly specialised fleet is in direct
response to a request from the Government of Ukraine.
The UK is sending a fleet of 13 protective armoured vehicles to
Ukraine, to safely evacuate people from the shelled
areas in east of the country.
The steel-plated vehicles will be sent
following a direct request from the Ukraine
government for safe and resilient transport for
civilians. They will also be used to
transport officials from Ukrainian ministries to
temporary command posts set up for government work and the
rebuilding of key infrastructure, such as [energy supplies], in
besieged areas.
The Ukrainian police and the National Guard will also
utilise the fleet to rebuild vital railway lines in the east of
Ukraine.
The fleet is made up of highly specialised 4x4s that
have been upgraded with armour to resist high velocity bullets,
anti-personnel mines and improvised explosive devices – all
tactics which have been used by Russian forces to slaughter
civilians.
Foreign Secretary said:
“The intentional targeting of innocent civilians is
a war crime.
“This latest donation of armoured vehicles will
help protect innocent Ukrainians attempting
to flee Russian
shelling and support Ukrainian
officials carrying out vital
work.”
The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to
have a
massive human cost, including the murdering of innocent civilians
and mass displacement of families, as well as the destruction to
vital infrastructure including schools and hospitals. It is
estimated that more than 12 million people are in need of
humanitarian assistance with the actual figure likely to be much
higher.
The vehicles, donated from the Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office’s fleet, will start to arrive in the east of
Ukraine in the coming days with UK government logistics teams
working with partners on the ground to dispatch them as quickly
as possible.
That package includes £220 million to provide medical supplies
and basic necessities on the ground, saving lives and protecting
vulnerable people. This includes support through the UN, the
Red Cross and NGOs, including the DEC and UK-Med.
The UK has also sent a rapid donation of food supplies following
a request from the government, committed to donating up to 42
ambulances to help bring vital lifesaving care, and sent more
than five million medical items to support lifesaving
work in Ukraine.
The UK has also been playing a lead role in supporting Ukraine
militarily, committing to provide Stormer armoured vehicles, Air
Defence Systems, 120 armoured vehicles, new anti-ship missiles,
and over 5,000 anti-tank missiles, in addition to the Challenger
2 tanks provided to Poland to backfill those they are donating to
Ukraine.
The UK Ambassador to Kyiv, Melinda Simmons, also returned to Kyiv
on Friday.
--ENDS--
Notes to Editors:
- The fleet is part of the OSCE
supply and is worth £660k. The vehicles will be delivered in
batches to meet the request from the Government of Ukraine.
- The vehicles are protected by steel
plating, with reinforced glass, enhanced suspension and upgraded
brakes, and include internal VHF 2-way radio for long range
communication outdoors.
