Estonia sends artillery ammunition to Ukraine
20 April, 2023 A transport pallet with 155-mm artillery ammunition. Photo from open sources. Estonia is sending 155mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine as part of a new defense assistance package.
The news was announced on the official website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. At a government meeting on Thursday, the Estonian government supported Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur's decision to send artillery ammunition to Ukraine as part of a European Union agreement to send a million shells to Ukraine. "Estonia's initiative to send a million shells to Ukraine passed through the institutions of the European Union with unprecedented speed, and now Ukraine needs quick decisions from European allies so that these shells actually hit Ukraine.
That is, after a big and quick political step, the next step follows - preparing the defense package and sending it to Ukraine, which we are doing," said Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
American M777 155mm towed howitzer of the Ukrainian military. Ukraine.
2022. Photo from open sources
Estonia's current aid package consists of 155mm shells.
In addition, Estonia gives the Armed Forces of Ukraine night vision devices and ammunition for small arms.
Artillery ammunition
According to Pevkur, along with air defense, artillery ammunition is now the most important military need of Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor. Ukraine receives about 60-210 thousand artillery shells every month, and the Russian Federation uses 600-1.8 million shells every month against Ukrainian troops. At the European Council held in February 2023 Estonia invited EU member states to jointly purchase at least one million 155 mm shells.
This would help to overcome the critical shortage of ammunition in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At a joint meeting of the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs of the European Union, held on March 20, they agreed to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells (including 155mm shells) within 12 months, that is, by March 20, 2024.
This point was confirmed by leaders of states and governments at the European Summit on March 24.