NEW DELHI: Even though Islamabad maintains it doesn’t supply weapons to Ukraine, concrete and credible evidence continue to emerge proving Pakistan’s active involvement in Kyiv’s ongoing war with Russia.
The latest in the series is a New York Times report, which said Pakistan is among a few countries supplying ammunition, including rockets and artillery shells.
In its analytical report, which includes ground reports by several correspondents who travelled different Ukrainian frontlines and spoke to military officials, New York Times said troops on the ground were using Pakistani munitions.
“Ukrainian artillery crews are navigating an assortment of munitions delivered from countries like Pakistan, Poland, Bulgaria and Iran, forcing gun crews to adjust their aim based on which country the ammunition comes from and sometimes how old it is, even though it is all the same caliber,” reads the report.
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Earlier BBC quoted frontline Ukrainian artillery troops complaining about the poor quality of Pakistan-delivered ammunition.
As reported earlier by The New Indian, Pakistan’s state-run defence manufacturer has been selling weapons to Ukraine directly as well as delivering to its needs on behalf of some others nations such as the US and the UK.
Pakistan has decided as recently as last week to send a fresh consignment of arms to Ukraine though Poland – coinciding with an emergency visit of Ukraine’s foreign minister. However, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Pakistan counterpart denied having any agreement for weapons.
In March, Pakistan sent back at least 44 T-80UD main battle tanks to Ukraine in exchange for financial assistance from the West. The tanks were bought from Kyiv in the last 1980s.
In April, The New Indian report revealed that Pakistan routed 60,000 155mm M107 artillery carriages via the US; 25,000 120mm Mortar Bomb HE, 20,000 122mm HE D30 RC and 130,000 rocket 122mm MBRL routed through the UK, and 30,000 40mm RPG7 HEAT ammo routed through Saudi Arabia to Ukraine.
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Between February and March this year alone, Islamabad shipped 42,000 122 MM BM-21 multi barrel rocket launchers routing them through other countries to Ukraine.
In return for Islamabad’s regular supply of defense equipment to the Ukrainian army, Ukraine has initiated the process of supplying Mi-17 helicopter engines and auxiliary spare parts to the Pakistan military.
Last year, the UK utilized Pakistan as an air bridge to deliver arms to Ukraine via Romania. The ongoing defense cooperation between Pakistan and Ukraine highlights their enduring partnership in the face of geopolitical challenges.