Ukrainian forces that sunk Russian warship were trained by US – Pentagon

EUROPEAN PRAVDA – WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2022, 21:03

Bill LaPlante, US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said that Ukrainian forces that sank the Russian Vasily Bekh warship with Harpoon anti-ship missiles in June received training from the US.

Source: European Pravda, quoting Bill LaPlante at the Defense News Conference on 7 September

Details: LaPlante said that Ukrainian forces were trained to operate Harpoon anti-ship missiles  "over Memorial Day weekend" [in late May - ed.]. Several weeks later, the Ukrainians used Harpoon missiles to sink Vasiliy Bekh, the Russian tugboat.

The missiles that struck the Russian ship were given to Ukraine by a US ally LaPlante did not identify. He explained that the ship-based missile launchers were removed from the ally’s ship and modified to be fired from a flatbed truck.

"There's incredible innovation going on right now and we just don't talk about it enough," LaPlante said.

He added that Ukrainian forces had since sunk another Russian warship with the Harpoons. He did not specify the ship’s actual name.

The announcement that Ukraine’s Western partners will supply it with Harpoon anti-ship missiles came in spring. The Pentagon announced Harpoon coastal defence systems were part of a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine announced in June.

Several days later, the Ukrainian Navy Forces struck a Russian naval tugboat, Vasily Bekh, armed with a TOR anti-aircraft missile system, with two Harpoon missiles in the Black Sea. The ship was transporting Russian military personnel and weapons to the Zmiinyi (Snake) Island. The ship had later sunk.

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