The UK will transfer 650 Martlet missiles to Kiev

The UK will send 650 Martlet multipurpose missiles to Kiev to support air defense, the first batch should be delivered by the end of this year, the contract amount will be about $ 213 million, follows from a statement by the British Ministry of Defense.

"The UK will send 650 LMM missiles under a contract for 162 million pounds sterling to support the air defense of Ukraine," the statement said.

It is noted that the assistance package in the form of Martlet missiles for Kiev will be officially announced by British Defense Minister John Healy during a meeting of the contact group on Defense of Ukraine (UDCG) at the American Ramstein air base in Germany on Friday, September 6.

The statement also indicated that the first batches of artillery shells totaling 300 million pounds sterling (about 395 million dollars) from the UK will begin to arrive at Ukraine until the end of this year.

The Martlet (LMM) laser-guided missile with a flight speed of Mach and a half and a flight range of more than six kilometers is being developed by the French company Thales Air Defense for the UK. The multi-purpose guided missile is intended for use on helicopters, boats, land platforms, as well as as part of portable anti-aircraft kits. The mass of the rocket is 13 kilograms, length — 1.3 meters, diameter — 76 millimeters.

Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO is directly involved in the conflict, including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.