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WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian entities for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Commerce said. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said: "Sanctions have no effect on Iran's drone production capacity because its drones are all produced domestically. This is a strong indication that the drones shot down in Ukraine and using parts made by Western countries don't belong to Iran." In January, Canada announced it would buy a U.S.-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine. The United States has provided two NASAMS to Ukraine and more are on the way.

☆ Germany starts deploying Patriot air defence units to Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A view of a part of the convoy as the mobile defence surface-to-air missile systems, Patriot, are transported to Poland, near Gnoien, Germany, January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret HilseGNOIEN, Germany Jan 23 (Reuters) - Germany on Monday dispatched the first two out of three Patriot air defence units that will be sent to the Polish town of Zamosc close to the Ukrainian border where they will be deployed to prevent stray missile strikes. As a result, Berlin offered to deploy three of its Patriot units to Poland to help secure its air space. Ground-based air defence systems such as Raytheon's (RTX.N) Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles. Sievers, who will command the German unit in Poland, underlined the defensive nature of the Patriot system.

☆ Canada to buy U.S.-built surface-to-air missiles for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Canada will buy a U.S.-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine, a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Mexico City on Tuesday. "This is the first Canadian donation of an air defense system to Ukraine," Defense Minister Anita Anand said on Twitter after the announcement. Air defense systems are Ukraine's top priority, she said her Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, told her in a phone conversation held earlier on Tuesday. The NASAMS is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system that protects against drone, missile, and aircraft attack, Anand said. The donation has a value of about C$406 million ($302.6 million), and is in addition to the C$500 million Canada promised to Ukraine in November, according to a defense ministry statement.

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A new U.S. weapons package for Ukraine will include about 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, with one of the officials saying the package will be worth roughly $2.8 billion. On Wednesday President Joe Biden said that sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a U.S. Army staple, to Ukraine was being considered to help fight Russia's invasion. The latest security package for Ukraine is expected to be unveiled on Friday, the officials said. As the war progressed and Ukraine's needs changed, more complex weapons systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), were shipped to Kiyv. Most recently, the United States pledged to send a Patriot missile system to repel Russian missile and drone attacks.

☆ Iranian-made drones cost as little as $20,000 to make, but up to $500,000 to shoot down, a growing concern in Ukraine, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Iranian-made drones cost as little as $20,000, but can cost much more to shoot down. Ukraine launched multiple costly missiles over New Year to deal with Russia's drones, NYT reported. While the Shahed-136 drones being deployed by Russia cost as little as $20,000 to make, shooting one out of the sky can cost between $140,000-$500,000, the paper reported. "Shooting $4 million missiles at $250,000 Russian cruise missiles might be justified if those missiles would hit sensitive targets. Shooting a $4 million missile at a $50,000 Iranian Shahed-136 drone would probably not," they said.

☆ Biden says Bradley Fighting Vehicles are on the table for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] U.S. Bradley fighting vehicles that will be deployed in Latvia for NATO's Operation Atlantic Resolve wait for an unload in Garkalne, Latvia February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoHEBRON, Kentucky, Jan 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine was being considered to help the that country fight Russia's invasion. The United States has sent about $21.3 billion in security assistance to Kyiv as Europe's biggest land conflict since 1945 grinds on, killing tens of thousands. As the war progressed and Ukraine's needs changed, more complex weapons systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)d, were shipped to Kiyv. Most recently, the United States pledged to send a Patriot missile system to repel Russian missile and drone attacks.

☆ Ukraine says it shot down all of the suicide drones Russia fired into the country as it rang in the new year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine says it shot down all of the drones launched by Russia on December 31 and January 1. A Ukrainian air force spokesperson said Russia launched 84 Iranian-made suicide drones during that time. "Such results have never been achieved before," Yuriy Ignat said on Tuesday of Ukraine's air defense successes. He said that over the last four months, Kyiv has shot down 500 drones launched by Russia. It added that over 30 of the suicide drones launched by Russia were shot down over Kyiv.

☆ Russian troops work 'round-the-clock' on new air defence positions - Interfax
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Russians troops are working "round-the-clock" at new anti-aircraft missile system positions to defend against missile and air strikes by Ukraine, the Russian Interfax reported late on Sunday citing the defence ministry. Crews of the S-300V systems were "mastering new position areas" of the Russian long range surface-to-air missile systems, the news agency reported, citing a ministry statement. "The air defence units of the Western Military District continue to serve in the new position areas on combat duty around the clock," the agency cited the ministry as saying. The Western Military District, one of Russia's five military districts, incorporates regions bordering Ukraine, including the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But the visit also leaves several key questions unanswered, including how U.S. military support could evolve, whether Congressional support for the war will endure and - crucially - how the war will end. Biden announced that the United States would provide another $1.85 billion in military aid, including a Patriot missile defense system. The United States and its allies have been unwilling to provide other advanced weapons Ukraine has pleaded for. The next steps for Kyiv, the officials added, would be to receive additional air defense systems from the United States and other western countries along with better integrating them. "No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington.

☆ The US is finally sending Patriot air defenses to Ukraine, but officials warn that it's not 'a silver bullet'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US announced on Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with a Patriot air-defense system. The Patriot system is highly capable, but officials caution that there's only so much it can do. The Patriot battery and accompanying munitions are part of a $1 billion package announced on Wednesday as a presidential drawdown, meaning its contents will be pulled directly from US stocks. Washington has previously pledged to send National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, Hawk air-defense systems, and Avenger air-defense systems. A Patriot battery typically has eight launchers, each capable of firing four to 16 interceptor missiles depending on the type being used.

☆ Explainer: What is the Patriot missile defense system?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Patriot missile defence system is seen at Sliac Airport, in Sliac, near Zvolen, Slovakia, May 6, 2022. Here's what you need to know about the Patriot:WHAT IS THE PATRIOT SYSTEM? The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defense system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N) and considered one of the most advanced air defense systems in the U.S. arsenal. So far, the United States has provided a pair of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine. Russia has said the Patriot missile defense system would be a legitimate target for Russian strikes.

☆ Japan may build 2 huge warships to counter the growing missile threat from North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

That has led Japan to examine its missile defense, which relies on specially designed warships. The launches have forced Japan to examine its unique ballistic-missile defense system, which relies heavily on specially equipped warships to intercept incoming missiles. US Missile Defense Agency/Heather CavaliereJapan began developing its current BMD system in 2004. US Navy/MCS3 Quinton A. LeeThe Aegis-equipped BMD ships are the most important part of Japan's BMD system. US Navy/MCS Seaman Aleksandr FreutelThere are advantages to relying on maritime-based platforms for missile defense.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. is poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, three U.S. defense officials said Tuesday, finally agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles. Two defense officials said the missile battery will come from Defense Department stocks and be moved from another country overseas. According to officials, the U.S. plan would be to send one Patriot battery. A truck-mounter Patriot battery includes up to eight launchers, each of which can hold four missiles. The administration’s potential approval of a Patriot battery was first reported by CNN.

☆ A Patriot missile battery from the US could create new headaches for Russia in Ukraine and throw a wrench into its terror campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine is reportedly slated to receive a US-made Patriot missile defense battery. The US is poised to send Ukraine a Patriot missile defense battery that is already stationed overseas. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, it is the primary air and missile defense system that the US has in its arsenal. Patriot missile defense system at Schwesing military airport in Germany on March 17, 2022. A NATO Patriot air defense missile system stands at Slovakia's Sliac air base on April 27, 2022.

CNN —The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official. Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia. Last month US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is “very focused” on providing air defense systems to Ukraine. “We’re now very focused on air defense systems and not just us, many other countries,” Blinken told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

☆ Ukraine keeps patching up its power grid. But Russia’s barrage could force more Ukrainians to flee as winter bites
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Tim Lister Olga Voitovych Victoria Butenko | Tim Lister | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The result is a grinding battle of attrition: Barrages of Russian missiles fly across Ukraine, and Ukrainian power engineers work for days in freezing temperatures to restore power. “By the nature of the attacks we see that Russian missiles are directed by Russian power engineers,” says Tymoshenko. 15 gigawatts of Ukraine’s power capacity have been taken out, compared to the pre-war capacity of 56 gigawatts (GW) of power, according to Ukrenergo. Tymoshenko told CNN that Ukraine’s power system has been part of the continental network since March after synchronization of the systems. “And this, of course, will encourage us to further technological development of the power system after victory,” he says.

☆ Factbox: Flurry of military activity in Belarus stirs concern in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Constant Belarusian and Russian military activity in Belarus has stirred concerns that a new attack on neighbouring Ukraine could be possible in the coming months. Some 70% of them had been checked by Dec. 1, the Belarusian defence ministry said. The Belarus Defence Ministry announced the start of a large-scale "rotation of army units" on its border with Ukraine on Oct. 17. A group of Russian generals arrived in Belarus on Dec. 1 to conduct an inspection of Russian military units, according to opposition Telegram channel Gajun. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu travelled to Belarus on Saturday and held talks with Lukashenko and the Belarusian defence minister.

☆ Heaviest Ukraine fighting rages in the east, NATO seeks to sustain support against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

This brutalization of Ukraine’s people is barbaric,” Blinken told a news conference in Bucharest following a two-day NATO meeting. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting, allies Wednesday pledged to help Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they face pressure from Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ministers said. Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what it calls a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of nationalists it considers dangerous. “We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and preparing countermeasures — tougher countermeasures than is now the case,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address Wednesday evening. “We haven’t seen these Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for about two weeks ... the first batch has probably already run out,” he told Ukraine’s main television network.

☆ Pentagon awards Raytheon $1.2 bln contract for Ukrainian NASAMS
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon Technologies Co (RTX.N) for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. The United States has approved sending Ukraine a total of eight NASAMS to help fend off Russian missile and drone attacks. Ukraine received its first delivery of two NASAMS air defense systems in November. The contract is for the NASAMS batteries, training, and logistical support to Ukraine's military and security forces. The Pentagon has said the newly U.S.-provided NASAMS air defense systems so far have had a 100% success rate in Ukraine intercepting Russian missiles.

☆ Heaviest Ukraine fighting rages in east, West seeks to sustain support against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen fire with a Bureviy multiple launch rocket system at a position in Donetsk region, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine November 29, 2022. In Washington, a $1.2 billion contract for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine was awarded to Raytheon, the Pentagon said. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting, allies on Wednesday pledged to help Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they face pressure from Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ministers said. Russia invaded Ukraine nine months ago in what it calls a "special military operation" to rid Ukraine of nationalists it considers dangerous. "We haven't seen these Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for about two weeks ... the first batch has probably already run out," he told Ukraine's main television network.

☆ Dutch Court Convicts 3 of Murder for 2014 Downing of Airliner in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Thursday, the court said there was “very convincing evidence” that the Buk missile had been deliberately fired from an agricultural field near Pervomaiskyi, a city in eastern Ukraine. Even if separatist forces had intended to shoot down a Ukrainian military aircraft and not an airliner, the court said, the strike was nevertheless premeditated and constituted a crime. The downing of MH17 occurred against a backdrop of vicious fighting between the separatists and the Ukrainian military after an uprising that deposed the country’s Russian-aligned president in February. The crash scattered bodies and wreckage across fields of wheat and sunflowers, in scenes both harrowing and poignant. Most of the victims were Dutch, but the flight also carried passengers from Australia, Britain, Malaysia and several other countries.

☆ Ukraine is scrambling to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. Here are the weapons other countries are sending in to help.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Here are some of the air-defense systems that countries are sending Ukraine to take on that threat. The US, Britain, and several other countries are sending Ukraine a variety of air-defense systems. Here are some that are being supplied to Ukraine:NASAMSThe National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. Norwegian Ministry of DefenseParticularly significant is that rather than custom-designed surface-to-air missiles, NASAMS fires existing air-to-air missiles that are modified to be launched from the ground. Shan Yuqi/Xinhua via Getty ImagesUkraine has already received the first of four German IRIS-T short-range anti-aircraft missile systems.

☆ Ukraine in danger of running out of air defenses as Russia launches relentless drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

However, the Iranian government acknowledged for the first time Saturday that it had sent a number of drones to Russia, but insisted this was before Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley rejected that claim, saying Tehran supplied drones to Russia in the summer. He also warned that Russia needed Iranian missiles for a "possible repetition of mass attacks on our infrastructure." For its part, Ukraine continues to plead for more air defense weapons to help it combat Russian drone and missile attacks. RUSI's analysts agree that Ukraine requires urgent assistance to ensure that "Kyiv can counter Moscow's updated approach to the air war in Ukraine."

☆ The same air defense systems that shield Washington, DC 24/7 have arrived in Ukraine from the US as Russia batters cities with missiles and suicide drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's defense minister said Monday that National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems have arrived. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on social media that the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) arrived with Italian-made Aspide medium-range systems. NASAMS are ground-based air defense systems that provide short- to medium-range protection and can be used to defend against drones, missiles, and some aircraft. In response to these attacks,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said air defense was the number one priority for his country, prompting the US and its NATO allies to begin rushing to deliver critical air defense systems to Ukraine. "In terms of air defense capabilities, this continues to be a priority for the US government, for the Department of Defense to work closely with the Ukrainians, with our allies and our partners to try to get them additional air defense capability," Ryder responded.

Ukraine has accused Russia of deploying missiles made by MMZ Avangard against ground targets since Russia launched what it terms its "special operation" on Feb. 24. "Extreme equipment is used on Russian warships," the complaint said, "in communications systems." "It was necessary to use a cover because the Russian company is blacklisted in the U.S.," one of the people familiar with the shipments said. The executive said he had never heard of Extreme or of DEMZ buying Extreme equipment for itself or on behalf of others. Like MMZ Avangard, United Shipbuilding has been listed as a "blocked" entity by the U.S. Treasury since July 2014.

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