U.S. to provide Ukrainian army with sniper complexes

6 April 2018

The U.S. government will offer the Ukrainian military sniper complexes in addition to Javelin anti-tank missile systems, U.S. Sen. Robert Portman told reporters during his visit to Ukraine on April 5, as reported by the Voice of America. Portman has led the effort to impose sanctions against Russia and provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons, prompting President Poroshenko to award him a state decoration at a ceremony yesterday.

 

“I was in Donbas yesterday where Ukrainian soldiers continue to perish,” Portman said. “Last month, the majority of casualties were caused, most likely, by enemy sniper fire. And one of the recent decisions of American legislators and the administration is to offer snipers to the Ukrainian army in order to return sniper fire that is killing Ukrainian soldiers. This is one of the concrete examples that prove that the U.S. is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.”

 

Zenon Zawada: The Obama administration maintained a fine line between non-military and military support in helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression. On the other hand, the Trump administration has gradually blurred this fine line to the point of directly supporting Ukraine with arms, and therefore directly involving itself in this war.

 

While Javelin launchers are defensive armament vehicles that are forbidden in the conflict zone (and whose use will therefore be restricted), snipers are easily portable armaments that can easily become used for offensive purposes, and within the war zone. (After all, at what point does a defensive weapon not become an offensive weapon?)

 

Providing snipers will bolster the Kremlin view that they are truly fighting the U.S. in this war, with Ukrainian soldiers merely acting as the proxy. We even argue that the introduction of weapons like snipers will further prompt the Kremlin to view a continental war as the best way to resolve this conflict with the U.S.