Ukraine wants more equipment and quicker
Ukraine’s top diplomat in Australia has urged the Albanese government to speed up the delivery of Bushmasters and other military support to his country so it can press its advantage.
Ukraine’s top diplomat in Australia has urged the Albanese government to speed up the delivery of Bushmasters and other military support to his country so it can press its advantage after its stunning liberation of the northern Kharkiv region.
Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko made the call after Australian-donated Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles were involved in the blitzkrieg in recent days that forced the frantic retreat of Russian forces from nearly all of the country’s north.
In a social media post early on Monday, Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov shared footage of a Bushmaster and its jubilant crew from the 80th Air Assault Brigade after fighting near the Oskil River.
“For the sake of protecting Freedom, it travelled half the world, from Australia to Ukraine, 19,300km across the Indian Ocean,” Mr Reznikov tweeted, thanking Defence Minister Richard Marles and “all the Australian people” for the vehicles.
Ahead of an upcoming meeting with Mr Marles, Mr Myroshnychenko said his country would defeat its Russian invaders, but urgently needed more support to finish the war quickly.
“Ninety per cent of Ukrainians believe that we’re going to win the war. I believe we’re going to win the war. I’m convinced we’re going to win the war,” he said.
“The question is, when and how and at what cost? We just need to have a steady supply of weapons coming, and a lot will depend on our Western allies.”
Australia has supplied 40 of a promised 60 Bushmasters, six M777 howitzers and is part-way through shipping 28 Vietnam-era M113 armoured vehicles.
Mr Myroshnychenko has officially requested 30 more Bushmasters, 30 of the army’s new Hawkei protected vehicles, 12 more M777 howitzers and as much 155mm artillery ammunition as Australia can supply.
But he said it was also vital that promised support arrived faster, urging the government to double the frequency of supply flights.
The RAAF is flying one C-17 cargo aircraft – which can carry three Bushmasters per flight – to eastern Europe every fortnight.
“We need to have a flight every week, so that we deliver three to Ukraine every week,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
“We are in a counter-offensive right now and these armoured personnel carriers are vital to get troops to the frontline. The more we have, the more protected they are on the battlefield.”
He said the Bushmaster in particular had played an important role in keeping Ukrainian troops safe, winning high praise from the country’s military hierarchy. The Russian retreat represents the biggest defeat for Vladimir Putin’s forces since they were forced to abandon their attempt to capture Kyiv in the early weeks of the war, and has given fresh hope to Ukraine and its Western partners that it will repel the invaders.
Mr Marles said the resistance of the Ukrainian people had been “inspirational”, but they needed “ongoing support”.
“It is completely unacceptable that a large country seeks to impose itself on a smaller neighbour, not by reference to any international rule of law but by reference to might and power,” the Defence Minister told ABC radio.
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