It is understood that Russia will also not be able to supply itself with Kh-55 cruise missiles, which are launched from the air and can carry nuclear warheads because they rely on imported components. The Kh-55 is used by Russia, China and Iran and uses an engine built in Kharkov, senior defense sources told the Telegraph. All Russian rockets fired from helicopters and ships use Ukrainian-made engines. Western sanctions mean Putin is also unable to buy weapons from France, which has supplied hundreds of millions of pounds worth of equipment to Russia since the 2014 invasion of Crimea. Sources said the current level of Russian military reserves was “quite bad”, after Mr. Putin’s inability to occupy Ukraine as quickly as many analysts expected.
“Donor Conference”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has called on Western nations to continue providing “deadly aid” to his forces, including missiles and other weapons used against Russian forces. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace convened a “donors’ conference” of 35 countries to persuade them to give more weapons to Zelensky’s troops. To date, the United Kingdom has supplied 4,000 next-generation anti-tank weapons (NLAWs) and Javelin anti-tank systems and has committed to shipping Starstreak air defense systems and 6,000 new anti-tank and explosive missiles. The Times reported that the British Starstreak missile system is believed to have been used to shoot down a Russian helicopter in its first use on the battlefield in Ukraine. Shots of the attack show the missile cutting a Mi-28N in two over the Luhansk region. Britain has also sent body armor, helmets, boots, diet packages and communication equipment to Ukraine.
