JAVORIV, LVIV (Dagbladet): An old, blue Lada from the last millennium shows the way out into the wilderness. It is the Ukrainian army and six British soldiers who will show Ukrainian and international journalists their latest, new weapons against the Russians:
A handheld anti-tank missile, which goes by the name NLAW and is manufactured by Saab.
It can shoot down a tank, several of the soldiers say enthusiastically.
– This is a very good weapon. Now we can destroy Russian tanks if they attack Ukraine, says Viktor, one of the Ukrainian military leaders to Dagbladet.
– We’re ready
Viktor has over 30 years of service in the Ukrainian defense, which is known for having a lot of old military equipment. That the Ukrainians have now received a secret number of brand new and modern anti-tank missiles from the British is therefore great.
– Hehehe. Now we are ready. Very clear, says Viktor.
He nods and laughs happily.
British soldiers have been in Ukraine and helped train Ukrainian soldiers since 2015, explains the British soldier, Captain Stevensen.
– Ukraine and Britain have a bilateral agreement, so we are at any given time from 20 to 400 soldiers here. We also continue to be here and do not change anything even if not everyone likes this. On the contrary, we have now extended our presence to 2023, says Stevenson to Dagbladet.
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Word war
The war of words between Russia on the one hand and Ukraine, the United States, Britain, NATO and many other countries on the other, is in full swing.
On both sides, it’s about showing muscle to scare the enemy.
Russia is sending more and more soldiers and military equipment to Ukraine’s border areas to show that they are serious. This Friday, the Ukrainians will show off their new, modern military equipment. In addition to not being alone: British soldiers are with them, in Ukraine.
– We are very pleased with this modern anti-tank weapon that the British have given us, the Ukrainian forces, says Anton Myronovych, information officer in the Ukrainian military, and continues:
– We have now had intensive and good training with the British and this modern weapon for five days, he says.
– How much better does the new weapon make the Ukrainian defense?
– Any help we receive from our international partners gives us significant reinforcement. The more help we get, the safer we become against this threat, which is from the Russian Federation, Myronovych answers.
– Very good
The new handheld anti-tank missiles weigh 12.5 kilos, but have great power. It costs somewhere between 18,000 and 20,000 British pounds, according to British Stevenson.
The ammunition costs 2,000 pounds, per launch, Dagbladet is told.
– With this we can destroy the enemy tanks. So we can now destroy Russian tanks. Both at a short distance, in the city, and up to a couple of hundred meters away, Myronovych continues.
Both the British and Ukrainian soldiers are excited about their new weapons. Most soldiers, both in high and low rank, film military exercises with their mobile phones.
Then it claps when the grenade smashes old tanks to shreds.
– Very good. Very good, says military leader Viktor.
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Prepared for everything
Information officer Myronovych will not advance whether there will be a war or not.
– I do not hope that it will be, neither in Ukraine nor elsewhere on the planet. But as military forces, we must be prepared for everything, he says.
– Are you well enough prepared for an attack from Russia?
– Yes, I, my friends, the Ukrainian army… we are quite confident. We are well trained to defend Ukraine against all types of attacks, he says.
The blue, small Lada from the last century is again loaded with two slightly too large, uniformed men, considering the car size. They start the engine, turn on their blue lights and get ready to drive in a procession back to the million-strong city of Lviv.
So do the buses of the same age, loaded with journalists to tell the whole world about Ukraine’s new weapons.
Perhaps with a little hope that the anti-tank spectacle can help stop a possible war.