The United States is sending its first batch of over 60 Bradley armoured vehicles to Ukraine.
These images show the Bradley armoured vehicles at the Scott Air Force Base in Ilinois in the United States, being prepped to be sent to Ukraine and being loaded for transport.
The images were obtained from the US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) on Monday, 30th January, along with a statement saying: “US Transportation Command is delivering the first shipment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine as part of the United States’ USD 2.85 billion military aid agreement announced earlier this year.
“The shipment — containing more than 60 Bradleys — left the shores of North Charleston, South Carolina, last week, and will provide the Ukrainian forces with additional offensive and defensive capabilities to protect their borders against Russia’s illegal invasion.”
The Bradley was first developed in the 1980s, primarily in response to Soviet BMP infantry fighting vehicles.
Air Force General Jacqueline Van Ovost, USTRANSCOM commander, said: “The situation in Ukraine really brought to the forefront the importance of logistics and the complexity of power projection and sustainment.”
She added: “Our support to Ukraine would not be possible without the strong relationships we have with our Allies and Partners that provided the access, basing, and overflight to facilitate the delivery of aid.”
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca D’Angelo, the 841st Transportation Battalion commander, said that the Bradleys will be essential to Ukraine as the war continues. She added: “The Bradley is a very powerful vehicle that we are providing to the Ukrainians.
She continued: “This is going to hopefully enhance their capabilities to provide forward advancement in the battlefield and regain lost grounds, by having equipment that matches or exceeds what the Russians have.”
The statement also said: “Along with the 60 Bradleys, the Biden Administration has announced an additional USD 2.5 billion in security assistance, comprising more fighting vehicles, ammunition, missiles, and Stryker armored personnel carriers. This brings the total U.S. contribution to the effort to USD 27.1 billion since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.”
General Van Ovost said: “The Ukraine operations underscore the importance of having an agile mobility force, with both a strategic airlift fleet that can delivery immediately, within hours of notification, and the available sealift that can deliver a much greater volume of materiel that is essential to delivering and sustaining a decisive force.”
She added: “Working across the enterprise to draw equipment from different locations across the globe, transport it into Europe, and transfer it to our partners that take it directly to the battlefield has been a remarkable feat and demonstrates the value of our partnerships.”
The United States Transportation Command is one of 11 unified commands of the United States Department of Defense. USTRANSCOM provides air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense and is in charge with the US’ gargantuan military logistics operations.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 342nd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 31st January 2023, Russia had lost about 127,500 personnel, 3,201 tanks, 6,378 armoured combat vehicles, 2,197 artillery units, 454 multiple launch rocket systems, 221 air defence systems, 293 warplanes, 284 helicopters, 1,951 drones, 796 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,048 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 200 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States will not provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak, one of Ukraine’s most senior presidential advisers, has suggested that Poland is willing to supply Kyiv with F-16 fighters.
But Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s Prime Minister, has said that his country would only act after consulting with NATO allies.
Russian forces claimed a series of territorial gains in the east of Ukraine on Monday. Russia also continued attacks on frontline positions near the eastern Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Donetsk.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has called for weapons to be supplied to his country faster. Zelensky said that Russia is hoping that the war will drag out and exhaust Ukraine’s ability to resist.
He added: “So we have to make time our weapon. We must speed up the events, speed up the supply and opening of new necessary weaponry options for Ukraine.”
Zelensky said that the situation in Bakhmut and Vuhledar was “very tough” and that the areas, as well as other parts of the Donetsk region were “under constant Russian attacks”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned the West that supplying more weapons to Ukraine would lead to a “significant escalation” of the war, saying that Ukraine “demands more and more weapons” while NATO countries were “more and more becoming directly involved in the conflict”.
The Russian government has prohibited domestic oil exporters and customs bodies from submitting to western-imposed price caps on Russian crude.
The UK’s Minister of Defence, Ben Wallace, has said that the tanks donated to Ukraine will arrive on the frontline “this side of the summer”.
