Missiles, rockets, and anti-tank
weapons will form part of a new security assistance package for Ukraine, the
Defense Department said Friday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin
signaled an end to his unpopular mobilization drive.
Valued at up to $725 million, the
Pentagon said in a statement that the package would include, additional
ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 5,000 anti-tank
weapons, as well as vehicles and artillery rounds.
“The United States has delivered unprecedented security
assistance to Ukraine and will continue to work with allies and partners to
ensure Ukraine has the support it needs,” the statement said.
The
U.S. has contributed approximately $17.6 billion in security assistance “since
the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24,” it
added.
The
Pentagon's announcement came after Putin indicated that his controversial
military mobilization drive was ending.
“This
work is coming to an end,” he told journalists Friday after a conference
attended by regional leaders in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.
Indicating
that the mobilization drive would be concluded in two weeks, he added 222,000
out of an expected 300,000 reservists had already been conscripted.
The
order — the first mobilization of reservists in Russia since World War II
—triggered protests across the country, while thousands attempted to avoid the
call-up by fleeing to neighboring countries like Georgia, Belarus, and Armenia.
Others have sailed to South
Korea and two Russian nationals sought asylum in Alaska last week after
arriving by boat.
Members
of ethnic minorities and rural residents have complained of being drafted at
higher rates than ethnic Russians and city dwellers.
Putin also said Russia had no
plans “for now” for more massive air strikes like those it carried out this week,
which saw more than 100 long range missiles fired at targets across Ukraine.
From Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the northeast, missiles tore through
rush-hour traffic and into energy facilities.
Putin also said Russia had no plans “for now” for more massive
air strikes like those it carried out this week, which saw more than 100 long
range missiles fired at targets across Ukraine. From Lviv in the west to
Kharkiv in the northeast, missiles tore through rush-hour traffic and into
energy facilities.
Putin sought to frame the attacks as
revenge for the blast that damaged his signature bridge connecting Russia with
the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The strikes, a sudden escalation that
showed Moscow retained the capacity to terrorize Ukraine’s civilian population,
came after a series of humiliating battlefield setbacks that have piled pressure
on the Russian leader.
However, Ukrainian officials said smaller-scale attacks had been launched late Friday. Oleksandr
Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Military Administration, said in a post on
his Telegram channel that Russian forces fired 10 rockets at the regional
center Saturday morning, destroying energy and industrial infrastructure
facilities.
He said the strikes came after four Russian drones destroyed buildings and caused fires to break out in the region late Friday.
NBC News was not able to independently
verify his claims.
Zaporizhzhia is home to Europe’s
largest nuclear power plant, which is currently in the hands of Russia’s
military and has come under regular attack.
Both sides have blamed each other for
targeting the facility.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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