Written statement on Military Support to Ukraine - Jul 20

Defence Secretary (Ben Wallace): I am pleased to provide the House with an update on our military support to Ukraine, including equipment and ammunition provided, deployed personnel, and our training programmes.

Since Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion the UK has donated significant quantities of military equipment, ammunitions and non-lethal aid to Ukraine to help defend their territory and expel Russian invaders. In total, the UK has spent £2.3 billion on our support between April 2022 and March 2023 and has been a leading international donor of military aid to Ukraine – second only to the United States.

Due to the urgent nature of Ukraine’s needs, and volume of support required, the UK has obtained equipment to aid them from multiple sources, including:

• UK defence stocks;
• rapid procurement from defence industry in the UK and overseas;
• purchasing surplus equipment from foreign governments; and
• coordinated international procurement through the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine.[1]

In the interests of national security, the origins of some equipment or the procurement routes involved cannot be disclosed. I must also consider the impact on Ukraine of releasing such information. However, in the interests of as full a disclosure as possible, the quantities of equipment and supplies obtained via these sensitive routes have been combined with those from less sensitive sources and amalgamated to show the totality of equipment provided in the table below.

The data below was last provided to the House in this format on 21 July 2022.[2] As I noted then, the delivery and provision of aid is dynamic and fast moving, responding to the priority needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. While in a small number of areas (notably anti-structure munitions and small arms) we have delivered less than anticipated, we have exceeded plans in critical capability areas such as artillery, responding with agility to Ukraine’s priorities and developments on the battlefield. For example, we have delivered over 15 times the quantity of artillery ammunition originally planned (over 200,000 compared to plans of 16,000 shells a year ago).

This table covers confirmed deliveries up to 11 July 2023 (all figures are approximate, unless shown in bold typeface).

Deployed personnel

We re-opened our Defence Section in April 2022, under the Defence Attaché, to better understand and support our Ukrainian partners’ with the most urgent requirements for their defence against Russia’s ongoing illegal and unprovoked invasion. This includes personnel to ensure the Defence Section can work in a safe and secure manner that does not unduly burden our hosts.

We continue our longstanding Operation ORBITAL, which before Russia’s invasion on the 24^thFebruary 2022 had delivered training to more than 22,000 Armed Forces of Ukraine Personnel in Ukraine. It now includes Defence Medical Personnel, who are delivering training and mentoring in Ukraine to the Armed Forces of Ukraine Medical Services.

For operational reasons, which the House will know well, we will not comment on the number of UK personnel in Ukraine, or their locations.

Training support

In addition to the capabilities listed and support in country, the UK has provided comprehensive support to ensure that Ukrainian personnel have the skills, knowledge and training required to safely and effectively operate the equipment and munitions provided. This includes technical, engineering and combat training for those who will maintain and operate the equipment on the battlefield, alongside technical manuals translated into Ukrainian. For example, we provided a comprehensive programme of Sea King training in the UK for 10 Ukrainian crews and associated engineers. Also, alongside the granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks, Ukrainian tank crews undertook training in the UK to learn the specifics of operating Challenger 2 as well as combined arms training focussed on ensuring the tanks could be used to the greatest effect as part of a complete armoured formation. Such training and support has been provided for a number of the major platforms and weapons systems provided.

Other UK-led specialist training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine has included medical, marine and chaplaincy training. In addition, the UK supports Ukraine’s ambition to fly fourth generation combat aircraft as part of a modern, capable air force and is therefore working with F16-operating nations to deliver a training pipeline for Ukrainian fast jet pilots. The UK will be ready to commence initial training for the first intake of Ukrainian student pilots this summer.

The UK has also played a leading role in providing generalist training for Ukrainian personnel. This has included over 18,700 personnel who have undergone basic and junior leadership training since the programmes were established in June 2022. With support from international allies, the UK anticipates training up to 20,000 personnel this year. The training course, which is based on the UK’s basic infantry training, is delivered over a five-week period and includes weapons handling, trench and urban warfare, battlefield first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics and the legal principles of armed conflict, giving Ukrainian volunteers the battlefield skills to defend their country from Russian aggression.

We will not stand by as the Kremlin persists in its disregard for the sovereignty of Ukraine and international law. The UK remains firm in its support of Ukraine’s right of self-defence in the face of Russian aggression.

[1] Since IFU-related aid is not solely funded by the UK, but co-funded by the IFU donors (currently UK, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Lithuania), that aid is not included in the table.

[2] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-07-21/hcws259