More than a year prior, under the guise of common mobs, Russian forces launched a brutal assault on Ukrainian towns and cities, which resulted in a horrifying array of atrocities including murder, sexual assault, and looting.
It was this violent aggression that pushed Germany into action, prompting a response from Berlin.
Initially, their aid to Kyiv took the form of 5,000 helmets.
As time sped by, the nature of Germany’s assistance dramatically escalated. A year later, their contribution had expanded to include tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, guns, and ammunition – an array of military hardware large enough to fill Moscow’s Red Square.
Simultaneously, other nations underwent their own metamorphoses, shifting from merely standing by and hoarding equipment, to actively contributing arms to the Ukrainian cause.
High-ranking defense officials became aware of the dwindling state of Russia’s ground forces in Ukraine, with predictions stating that it would require a minimum of a decade for Russia to restore its troops to their original strength.
This revelation opened a strategic window for Western countries, presenting an opportunity to provide Ukraine with surplus military equipment – somewhat aged but still operational and presentable. The plan is to then replace this equipment with more advanced gear over the next ten years, prepared for a potential resurgence of Russia.
In the latest instalment of “Defence in Depth”, associate editor Dominic Nicholls offers a comprehensive video analysis on the arms race to equip Ukraine and explores how NATO countries might use arms deliveries as leverage against the Russian military.
