West supplies Ukraine with expired weapons, says country’s envoy to London

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Western countries supply Ukraine with weapons that have already expired, Ukrainian envoy to the United Kingdom Vadim Pristayko told the Newsweek magazine in an interview.

"Some of the equipment has expired dates. We joke that if you want to dispose of them, give them to us. We will send them in the right direction. In a normal, peaceful time, nobody would want it to talk in terms like that. But now, why not?" he said.

At the same time, Pristayko noted that recently there have been positive developments in the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. According to him, Kiev did not expect to receive Patriot missile defense systems. "We never expected a Patriot system. Seriously, this is a top of the line anti-ballistic missile system, which was totally out of the question. I guess tanks, helicopters and even planes are much easier now," he added.

Last week France announced deliveries of light tanks to Ukraine. Germany and the US then announced plans to deliver infantry fighting vehicles to the country. Germany also announced its intention to send a Patriot system to Kiev in addition to another such system previously promised by the US.

'Sources' Claim UK Could Give Challenger 2 Tanks to Ukraine

While Western countries have sent a bewildering hodgepodge of Soviet-era weaponry, NATO-standard artillery and lightly-armoured patrol vehicles to the Kiev regime, none have yet risked pitting their main battle tanks against Russian forces.

Western and Ukrainian 'sources' have claimed the British government is mulling a donation of its best tanks to Kiev to fight Russian forces.

The anonymous briefings to British TV news suggested Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government could donate 10 Challenger 2 main battle tanks (MBTs).

The Russian military destroyed the reinforcements of the Ukrainian troops with a massive blow.

"It would encourage others to give tanks," said the Ukrainian source. "It will be a good precedent to demonstrate others — to Germany first of all, with their Leopards… and Abrams from the United States."

US President Joe Biden approved the supply of 50 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) — lightly-armoured troop carriers mounting an autocannon and anti-tank missiles in a turret — and talked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz into adding 40 Marder IFVs last week. The latest dispatches came after French President Emmanuel Macron pledged an unspecified number of AMX-10 RC light tanks, reportedly up to 30, to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Eastern European nations have supplied hundreds of Soviet-era tanks to Kiev, types familiar to the Ukrainian army and which fire the same ammunition. But sending the supposedly more-advanced British, US and German tanks has been seen as a 'red line' in NATO member states, especially by Scholz.

However, Polish and Finnish ministers have tentatively offered to supply some of their German-made Leopard 2 or US M1 Abrams tanks if the major Western powers take the lead.

The Ministry of Defence did not confirm or deny the reports but merely reiterated it had "provided over 200 armoured vehicles to Ukraine to date — including Stormer vehicles armed with Starstreak missiles."

Like most western MBTs, the Challenger 2 is at least 50 per cent heavier than the latest Russian equivalents, as well as significantly longer and taller without boasting a more powerful gun or better armour protection. With add-on explosive-reactive and slat armour, the tank weighs in at 74 tonnes — compared to 48 tonnes for the Russian T-90M already fighting in the Donbass.

Russian Terminator BMPT in action as part of the special military operation in Ukraine (video courtesy of Russia’s MoD)

No new Challenger 2s have been produced since 2002, 21 years ago. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed in March 2021 that 148 of the British Army's 227 operational tanks would be upgraded to the new Challenger 3 specification at a cost of around £1.3 billion — nearly £9 million per vehicle.

The UK and manufacturer Bae Systems have less at stake if the tanks are destroyed in combat, since the only export customer for the Challenger 2 is Oman. By contrast, the US has export M1 Abrams tanks to eight other countries, while 21 have bought the Leopard 2. Poland, which has already supplied at least 230 T-72 tanks to Ukraine, is set to have a mix of Leopard 2, Abrams and South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks in service.

The Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

• Russian Forces eliminated more than 50 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed two infantry combat vehicles and three other vehicles in the Kharkov region;



• The Russian Army eliminated more than 60 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed three armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;








• The Russian Army eliminated more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed three infantry combat vehicles, one armored carrier and four other vehicles near Donetsk;



• Russian troops eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two armored combat vehicles and three pick-up trucks near Pavlovka and Shevchenko settlements (DPR);



• Russian Forces hit 89 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;



• The Russian Army destroyed three Ukrainian ammunition depots in the DPR and in the Kharkov region;



• Russian troops destroyed two US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar stations in the DPR;



• Russian servicemen destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system in the LPR;



• The Russian Army destroyed two Polish Krab artillery systems, as well as two Ukrainian Akatsya self-propelled howitzers and one D-30 howitzer in the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;



• Russian Air Forces shot down two Ukrainian aircraft and one helicopter in the DPR;



• Russian air defenses destroyed eight Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted ten HIMARS and Uragan rockets.