The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has confirmed that the country will send around 2,700 shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian army.
“It is the first time in recent history that Denmark has donated weapons to a country at war,” she said.
Exact type unconfirmed
Neither she nor Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov revealed the exact type of armaments.
Kristian Lindhardt, a military researcher at the Defense Academy, told TV2 that the missiles could be armored missiles of the type M72 EC LAW (Enhanced Capability Light Antitank Weapon).
This is also the assessment of DR’s defense analyst Mads Korsager Nielsen.
Easy to use missiles
These missiles are extremely easy to handle. They are worn on the shoulder and weigh only a few kilos.
It is a weapon that is particularly well-suited for short-range shooting at lightly armored vehicles, such as the crew cars used by the Russians in Ukraine. No special training is required to operate them.
Nevertheless, some of the newer tanks would not be destroyed by them, Nielsen claims.
“You could possibly force the tank to stop by, for example, sliding the belts off,” he said.
A little more than that
In addition to the 2,700 missiles, Denmark also sends components taken from 300 Stinger missiles that were to be disposed of.
A few weeks ago, Bødskov said that he would investigate whether Denmark could help Ukraine with the weapons. Shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that the Stinger missiles were so old that they could not be used in their current state.
“Denmark is ready to supply components for the approximately 300 Stinger missiles, so that the USA can make its own Stinger missiles operational,” Bødskov explained.
You can go if you want
The government has also announced that Denmark will send body armor, first aid bags and a mobile hospital to Ukraine as well as DKK 50 million in humanitarian aid.
It will not officially send staff, but in response to a call for help from Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, Frederiksen has confirmed that people in Denmark – Ukrainians or not – are welcome to travel to the war zone to help the Ukrainian army.
“Anyone who wants to join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals,” Zelensky said.
In response, Frederiksen said: “It is a choice that everyone can make. This applies both to Ukrainians living here and to others who believe they have something to contribute directly to the conflict. “
Source: The Nordic Page