UK and Latvia launch coalition to send drones to Ukraine

With Russia's war against Ukraine stalled and at the beginning of a difficult year for kyiv, the United Kingdom and Latvia announced this Thursday the creation of a coalition to send thousands of drones to the invaded country.

These unmanned aircraft, also called marine drones, have a prominent role in the conflict, for Ukraine—which is also facing a lack of ammunition—and for the Kremlin troops.

The coalition led by the United Kingdom (which at the beginning of the year announced some 233 million euros for drones) and Latvia, and which also includes the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden and Germany, according to diplomatic sources, can add more members in the coming months.

The agreement also includes the shipment of so-called first-person view (FPV) aircraft, which are lighter and more affordable, easier to handle and can be used for reconnaissance, but also for attack if equipped with ammunition.

In Ukraine the situation on the ground is complicated, with exhausted troops and debate over new recruitments, although it has managed to recover around 50% of the territory that Russia had occupied with the invasion.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is preparing to launch another offensive in early summer, according to intelligence sources.

The announcement, made during the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, comes as the war launched by Vladimir Putin enters its third year and as Ukraine waits for the United States to unlock the 55 billion euro package (60,000 million dollars) that has been frozen for months due to internal struggles, especially among the Republicans, and that now, after passing a vote in the Senate, faces a difficult test in the House of Representatives.

kyiv's European allies fear being left alone in supporting the invaded country and are also observing with deep concern the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.

The Republican has criticized President Joe Biden's policy on Ukraine on numerous occasions.

The Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, criticized this Thursday Trump's weekend statements, which assured that he would not defend from Russia a NATO ally that spends little on defense, contravening the Alliance's commitment to mutual security. .

“These statements are absolutely unacceptable,” she said in Brussels.

“The true strength of NATO is that we are all united and, therefore, at this moment to make statements like those Trump has made without a doubt is to very clearly wink at Putin,” she added.

Robles has also spoken about the difficulty of the moment and the complex characteristics of the battlefield.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the delay of this support package is already having consequences.

“We already see the impact of the fact that the United States has not been able to make a decision [on aid], but I hope that it can, that Congress and the House of Representatives agree to continued support for Ukraine, because if we allow it to win “President Putin will not only be bad for the Ukrainians, a tragedy, but he will also be dangerous for us,” he said before the meeting of ministers.

“He will make the world even more dangerous for us and leave us more vulnerable,” he remarked.

drone war

With troops on an ammunition diet on the front lines due to the slow supply of packages promised by the EU and Western weapons deteriorating from use, Ukraine is betting on unmanned aircraft.

The conflict is an artillery battle now converted into a fight for positions, but it is also becoming a drone war.

Moscow and kyiv have military devices that fly long distances and with great attack power.

Additionally, both employ drones to solve battlefield tasks, correct artillery fire, and overwhelm air defense systems.

Moscow also uses them as swarms, combined with missiles.

They have also increased the use of civil drones adapted for military use (such as FPV drones), which can cost between 2,000 euros, the most tactical ones, and 400 euros, as well as those that link ammunition to be launched into enemy positions.

Ukraine, which speaks of a “drone army,” is launching a project to train 2,600 FPV drone pilots and is analyzing how to integrate artificial intelligence into the strategy.

In addition, it is developing a special doctrine and units within its army, according to military sources.

However, it faces the power of the countermeasures that Russia deploys to protect its equipment and electromagnetic warfare (known as EW) systems, such as the Shipovnik Aero, which Kremlin troops use to shoot down Ukrainian drones, and which also It may affect the navigation of the device or communication with the pilot.

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