Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has responded to statements by certain Russian politicians about the possibility of supplying Russian weapons to occupied Donbas.
"Information about the number of weapons and military equipment in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is available: There are 480 tanks; over 900 armored combat vehicles; about 450 guns and howitzers; about 300 mortars; about 210 multiple launch rocket systems; about 700 anti-aircraft weapons; about 450 anti-tank weapons," the ministry said in a statement on August 3.
Russia has been using all these weapons in hostilities against Ukraine, and Russian weapons have been brought through an uncontrolled section of the Russian-Ukrainian border.
"Since the beginning of the aggression, these weapons and military equipment have been used not only against members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military units, but also against the civilian population of Donbas. Therefore, if Russia wants to increase the supply of weapons, this indicates direct armed aggression and support for terrorist activities at the state level," the statement said.
The ministry recalled that the Russian Federation had been waging the war against Ukraine for the seventh year in a row.
Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, previously said that Russia could start to officially supply weapons to Donbas if the United States allocated US$300 million in military aid for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says that Ukraine gets technical assistance from partner states under international treaties.
"And the current situation is no exception. Ukraine is grateful to its international partners for their support in the fight against the aggressor," it said.