Kiev, Dec 22 (FN Agency) Ukraine has carried out the first target-shooting exercises from the Javelin missile system in Donbas amid rising tension at the border with Russia, the Ukrainian TV channel Dom reported on Wednesday. Earlier in December, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces classified data on the use of Bayraktar drones and the Javelin missile system in the area of the joint forces operation in Donbas. According to the media, the firing took place at a test site and not in combat conditions. The system is expected to be used in the event of Russia’s alleged full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dom reported. The main advantage of the missile system is easy and simple control, the media said. Javelins can reportedly guide themselves to their targets, which ensures almost 100% firing accuracy. According to the TV channel, Ukraine is armed with almost 100 Javelin launchers and about 500 missiles.
In November, Ukrainian lawmaker Ihor Kopytin confirmed that the Ukrainian military had used Javelin anti-tank and anti-armor missiles in Donbas. In August, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that US President Joe Biden had approved a new $60 million military aid package for Ukraine, including the supply of Javelins. Deliveries of weapons to Kiev, including the Javelin missile system, were approved by Washington in 2017 during the presidency of Donald Trump. The previous administration of Barack Obama had refused to approve the supplies, despite requests from Ukraine. The conflict in Donbas between Ukraine’s government and the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk republics has been going on since 2014. The Minsk Agreements, designed to find a political resolution to the conflict, were negotiated by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — the Normandy group — in February 2015.
However, the agreement has not been observed so far and sporadic clashes continue. Moscow has repeatedly stated that Kiev is not fulfilling the Minsk agreements and is delaying negotiations to resolve the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry has noted that Ukraine has sent half of its armed forces to Donbas. Moscow has also expressed concern about the transfer of NATO’s military equipment to Russian borders and the increase in the number of Western instructors in Donbas. Western countries continue to provide military support to Ukraine and supply it with weapons which are used in Donbas.