Polish "Krabs" are ready for battle: Defence Minister reports on the weapons received 

OLENA ROSHCHINA - THURSDAY, 9 JUNE, 2022, 12:13 

Polish self-propelled Krab howitzers (155 mm) are ready for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front, in addition to a number of other weapons received from Ukraine’s partners. 

Source: Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov

Quote: "I am happy to announce that the Polish self-propelled artillery mount Krab is ready to carry out combat missions at the front. After the M777 and FH70 guns and the CAESAR and the M109A3 anti-aircraft guns, these are the fifth type of 155-mm artillery we have been able to deploy."

Details: Reznikov clarified that the Ministry of Defence has already provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with more than 150 155-mm artillery platforms. 

According to the Minister, the stockpile of shells of this calibre is 10% higher than the stockpile Ukraine had, on 24 February 2022, of large-calibre shells of the Soviet type. The effectiveness of these shells is higher than Soviet models, resulting in less consumption. 

At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received more than fifty guns of other significant calibres, as well as shells for them, which make up more than 75% of the volume [of weapons of this type] that existed at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Quote: "Dozens of Soviet-style MLRS units and tens of thousands of shells, hundreds of mortars and hundreds of thousands of shells for them have strengthened our defences during this period.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is competing with the Russian army in taking the lead, having been supplied with tanks and other Soviet-style armoured vehicles which already number in the hundreds."

Details: The Minister thanked the aerospace and defence company Ukroboronprom, whose specialists restored or put into service for the Armed Forces "hundreds of units of military and special equipment, including captured Russian equipment."

Ukraine has received about 250 Western-style armoured vehicles (M113 TM armoured personnel carriers, M113 YPR-765 infantry fighting vehicles, Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, Mastiff protected patrol vehicles, Husky tactical support vehicles, Wolfhound heavy armoured trucks, etc.) from its partners, and continues to work to acquire more.

Reznikov mentioned "thousands" of MANPADS (Stinger, Starstreak, Mistral, Piorun, Grom, etc.), anti-tank guided missiles, or ATGMs (NLAW, Javelin, Milan, etc.) and grenade launchers (Panzerfaust, Carl Gustaf, AT4, RGW-90 HH / MATADOR, etc.).

Quote: "This is by no means a complete list, as it is too early to talk about some other modern weapons systems; we will discuss them later. But the enemy will feel their effects now. 

In addition, the Ministry of Defence has deployed hundreds of drones through various mechanisms, including several dozen combat drones. 

We expect serious unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the coming aid packages.

The coastal defence has been strengthened by extremely effective Harpoon complexes, which in combination with our Neptune [anti-ship missile] are already forcing the enemy fleet to stay at a distance so as not to suffer the same fate as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser "Moskva."

Details: Reznikov noted the Ministry of Defence has already fulfilled the initial 155-mm artillery request from the Armed Forces by 90%, and 100% of this initial need will be fulfilled within 1-2 weeks. The Ministry of Defence has a plan to supply artillery until the end of July.

American and British partners have decided to provide Ukraine with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and Ukrainian soldiers have been learning to use them for some time now.

Ukrainian fighters are also learning to work with some other types of western weapons, about which "no political decisions have been taken yet," Reznikov hinted.

"I am deliberately not going into the number of radars, medical vehicles, aerial bombs, etc. In the near future, I will also discuss separately and in detail the materiel, financing and personal armour protection, as well as the control systems," the minister wrote.

In his view, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already received "a significant number of weapons, [which] would be enough for a victorious defence against any army in Europe, but not against Russia," and therefore Ukraine will need heavy weapons in the shortest possible time.