Britain keeps selling off old military equipment – it should be sold to Ukraine

There is a significant package of military aid in the UK’s arsenal which, if released, could have a significant impact on ending the current predicament

March 15, 2024 11:43 am(renew 11:51 am)

“Our position is 100 meters away from the enemy. We are being bombed by everything: cluster bombs, phosphorus bombs, artillery. The ratio of our firepower to the enemy’s is about 1:50. We need to do our best.”

These words told to me by a female soldier fighting on the front line against Russia in Donbas illustrate the desperate situation faced by Ukraine’s armed forces two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion – and the urgent need for Britain to deliver on its commitments to Ukraine.

The UK has a significant package of military aid in its arsenal which, if released, could have a significant impact on ending the current predicament. These sources were corroborated by parliamentary disclosures about questions raised by Labor MPs.

Since the Russian invasion, the Defense Department has sold more than 1,000 unwanted military vehicles. The list includes 74 Bulldog armored personnel carriers, 134 reconnaissance vehicles, 63 MAN support vehicles, 48 ​​Pinzgauer trucks and a range of other logistics vehicles, trailers, transporters and quads, as well as 46 fixed-wing aircraft, including Attack aircraft and transport aircraft.

Instead of filling out sales and auction listings, this is an important resource to donate to Russians fighting on the front lines.

Labor MP Clive Lewis An early motion was tabled on Tuesday calling on the government to deliver decommissioned equipment to Ukraine, recognizing that “the UK must play a role in organizing an urgent increase in aid to enable Ukrainians to liberate the entire country” and deliver the equipment. This call was supported by the Federation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine. Alex Rennie, Conservative leader of Havant Council and director of UK Friends of Ukraine, agreed, saying “the UK should not be selling equipment that could be used as military aid to support Ukraine in liberating its lands” struggle”.

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Lewis last year introduced a motion to parliament, with the support of SNP and DUP MPs, calling for all remaining equipment to be provided to Ukraine. Nadia Whittome MP raised the demand again during the debate on the first anniversary of the invasion. But the government took no action.

An example revealed by Lewis and McDonald is FV107 Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle for saleIt is a battle-hardened light tank that was used in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the beginning of the conflict, Britain promised to donate 23 Scimitar tanks to Ukraine, but so far it has not delivered any. Instead, 18 of them have been sold to undisclosed buyers through the Defense Equipment Sales Agency.

As military hardware is sold instead of donated to Ukraine’s war effort, volunteers, including those from the Ukrainian Solidarity Movement, have been filling the void.

Our event raised funds to purchase 4×4 vehicles, which volunteers drove over 1000 kilometers. Imagine our dismay when we learned that the Department of Defense had sold 182 military Land Rovers, similar to the vehicles we purchased with donated funds.

Of course, Britain had provided substantial military assistance since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. On March 8, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that he would purchase 10,000 drones to donate to Ukraine.

But as the war drags on and right-wing politicians in Europe and the United States threaten to withdraw support for Ukraine, Britain can and should do more. Last January, Britain donates 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

UK Ministry of Defense plans to upgrade only 148 of 213 ChallengersWill the remaining 63 be sold or sent to protect soldiers on the Ukrainian front line? The Ministry of Defense still has 83 Scimitar light tanks available following the sale, and plans to retire the Army’s mainstay 625 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, meaning hundreds could be sent to Ukraine instead of scrapyards.

The UK has trained Ukrainian pilots but could also donate early versions of unwanted Typhoon fighter jets.Information disclosed by parliament shows 26 people plan to retire in March next year.But the Defense Minister said that there are No plans to donate fixed-wing aircraft to Ukraine. Instead, these Typhoons will lose available spare parts. Nine Chinook helicopters decommissioned by the British Armed Forces may be heading to Ukraine. The volunteers I work with to raise funds for used pickup trucks ask: Why not?

The questions raised by Lewis and McDonald reveal a worrying trend and a self-limiting approach to conflict that harms Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines and endangers us all.

Back on the front lines, an officer named Phoenix told me: “The availability of these types of weapons and equipment will allow us to gain an advantage on the battlefield, both at a tactical level and at a combat strategy level, and ultimately, be better than we would be without it.” Win faster and avoid paying greater costs than relying solely on ourselves. We must remember that by doing this we are saving Europe from further Russian aggression.”

We need a complete shift from providing enough aid to resist Russia to providing enough aid to Ukraine to win the war and liberate their country. That starts with donating our military hardware rather than selling it to the highest bidder.

Christopher Ford serves as Secretary of the Ukrainian Solidarity Movement