US to bolster Ukrainian air defences with Soviet-made equipment it acquired secretly, report says

The US will soon bolster Ukrainian air defences with Soviet-made equipment it secretly acquired decades ago, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The delivery of the air defence systems is part of a push by the Biden administration to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian airstrikes and missile attacks, as Moscow continues to use both indiscriminately a month into its invasion.

The equipment was acquired by the US decades ago so that it could study the technology used by states across the former Soviet Union, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials. That effort came to light in the 1990s and was reported to have cost some $100 million.

The systems are likely to be familiar to the Ukrainian military, which inherited some of the same equipment following the fall of the Soviet Union. Officials told the Wall Street Journal that the delivery will include the SA-8, a mobile short-range surface-to-air missile system developed by the USSR in the 1960s.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the US and its Nato allies to impose a no-fly zone over Ukrainian airspace, but such a move has been ruled out by Joe Biden’s administration, which warned it could lead to direct conflict between the US and Russia.

The transfer of the Soviet-made equipment was authorised in the US government’s annual spending bill passed by Congress, which gave permission to transfer equipment held by the US that is already in use by the Ukrainian military, such as aircraft, vehicles and ammunition.

Ukraine already possesses the Soviet and later Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which was designed to intercept missiles and aircraft. It has also received deliveries of US-made Stinger missiles, a portable air defence system that can target low flying jets and helicopters, and was credited with turning the tide of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan when used by local fighters there.

More Stingers are on the way to Ukraine as part of a new package of military aid from the US. The total amount of aid pledged by the US now stands at $1 bn. A total of 800 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems are included in the latest package.

Despite its ferocious assault on Ukrainian towns and cities from the air, and its significant advantage over Ukraine in the skies, Russia has not yet been able to achieve air superiority in the neighbouring country.

In recent days, the Russian offensive has largely stalled as it faced logistical issues and stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces. In response to its inability to advance on the ground, Russia has increased its bombing of the country with jets and missiles.

Since invading Ukraine on 24 February, Russia’s military has fired more than 1,100 missiles into the country, the Pentagon has claimed — in some cases targeting civilian areas and infrastructure. Sorties by Russian jets have increased significantly in the last 48 hours, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The United Nations has recorded more than 900 civilian deaths so far, but it has warned that the true number is likely to be "considerably higher" due to the difficulties of counting the dead in areas where fighting is heaviest.