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By Hugh Cameron
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What's New?
Ukraine is set to receive a major boost to its air defenses from one of its staunch allies, following a series of major aerial assaults by Russia.
On Thursday, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced that an aid package totaling 2.1 billion Danish Krone ($293 million) had been allocated to Ukraine.
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Included in the package are funds to "strengthen Ukraine's air defense." The Ministry said that financing will also be provided for "the operation of the Ukrainian F-16 capability."
Alongside Sweden, Denmark will also be providing Ukraine with an unspecified number of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles—armored miniature tanks already operational in Ukraine—and deploying more personnel to assist NATO and the European Union in their missions supporting Ukraine.
When contacted for further information on the package, the Danish Ministry of Defense told Newsweek it was unable to comment on Ukrainian air defenses for reasons of operational security.
Why It Matters
"One of Ukraine's most urgent needs right now is to be able to defend itself against the Russian airstrikes," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Thursday. "That is why we have prioritized more support for air defense." Although Western allies have significantly upgraded Ukraine's air defenses, the country has endured a series of Russian aerial attacks targeting its cities and critical infrastructure.
Last Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky said that 93 missiles and 200 drones had been launched at Ukraine, in what the president dubbed "one of the largest Russian attacks against our energy sector" since the war began. Zelensky said 81 of the missiles were intercepted, but power companies including DTEK and Ukrenergo reported significant damage at their facilities. This was followed by an assault on Kyiv on Friday morning, which caused fires to break out across the capital, leaving schools, medical facilities and residential buildings without power.
What To Know
Denmark has been a critical ally for Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion, earmarking over $7 billion in funds for the country through to 2028, according to the Ministry of Defense.
In addition to the support included in the latest package, Denmark has also been a key contributor to Ukraine's F-16 fighter jet fleet, alongside the Netherlands. On December 7, Zelensky announced that the second batch of Danish F-16s had arrived in Ukraine, and thanked the country for its continued support.
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"The aircraft from the first batch provided by the Danes are already shooting down Russian missiles and saving our people, our infrastructure," the president wrote on Telegram. "Now our air shield is additionally strengthened. If all partners were just as determined, we would have already managed to make Russian terror impossible."
"Denmark has played a special role in building up with both donation of F-16 fighter jets and training of personnel," Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said on Thursday.
What People Are Saying
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, on Thursday: "Russia will stop at nothing in their illegal war. This underlines the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, which are about squeezing the Ukrainian population during the cold winter months. It is inhumane. This only makes it even more important that Europe and Denmark continue to support Ukraine—especially for the Ukrainian air defense. We must put Ukraine in the best possible position."
What Happens Next?
As Ukraine petitions its Western allies to help shore up its air defenses, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to launch even more severe attacks on the country's major cities.
During a conference on Thursday, Putin proposed conducting a "technological experiment" to test the capabilities of Russia's Oreshnik missile. He invited Ukraine's backers to "concentrate all their air and missile defense forces" in Kyiv to see whether these could intercept the hypersonic ballistic missile.
Putin also encouraged the U.S. to deploy a THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in Ukraine as a similar training exercise to evaluate the strength of Russian missiles.
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