MOSCOW, Feb 11 Lithuania sent dozens of anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine Bofors L70, LRT radio reported.
Earlier, Lithuania announced its intention to supply Ukraine with dozens of L70 anti-aircraft guns with tens of thousands of ammunition and two Mi-8 helicopters. As the head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense Arvydas Anushauskas specified during a visit to Kyiv, we are talking about 36 Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns.
«Lithuania is handing over dozens of air defense guns to Ukraine. This package has been loaded today in the Radviliskis region and is being sent to Ukraine,» LRT radio said in a statement.
The representative of the Lithuanian army, Jurgis Norvaisha, on the air of LRT radio, noted that Vilnius not only transfers weapons to Kyiv, but also trains the Ukrainian military to work with the transmitted systems.
In early February 2022, Lithuania handed over the Stinger air defense systems to Kyiv, Vilnius also sent its military personnel to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian army to operate these weapons. After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, Lithuania handed over Kalashnikov assault rifles, thermal imagers, ammunition, equipment and dry rations to Kyiv. In the summer, Vilnius sent 50 M113 armored vehicles to Kyiv and announced a crowdfunding fee for the Turkish Bayraktar drone for Ukraine. As a result, on behalf of Lithuania, one UAV was handed over to Kyiv free of charge by Turkey itself.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas in September signed an agreement with Poland on the purchase of 27 Warmate kamikaze drones for Ukraine, and the Polish side was going to transfer 10 more drones free of charge. Delivery times were specified October-November 2022. During 2023, Vilnius plans to allocate 40 million euros for the purchase of anti-drones, optical instruments, thermal imagers and drones for Kyiv.
Russia sent a note to NATO countries because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are «playing with fire» by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.