German Government Approves Sale of 100 Self-Propelled Howitzers to Ukraine

On 13 July, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs informed the Munich-based arms industry company Kraus-Maffei Wegmann that it is licensed to produce 100 self-propelled howitzers for the Ukraine. A company spokesperson confirmed the approval on 27 July to Der Spiegel. The howitzers are of the type Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) and, when signed, the deal is expected to cost €1.7 billion. Since the agreement concerns freshly produced PzH 2000s and not a donation from the existing Bundeswehr inventory, the delivery could take several years. Germany has currently handed over ten howitzers to the Ukraine from its ranks. This brings the total of PzH 2000s in Ukrainian service to 23, following similar Dutch and Italian deliveries.

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The Risk of Potential Illicit Arms Trafficking in Eastern Europe and Leak of Technological Secrets due to the West’s Arms Export to Ukraine. 

Since the Federation of Russia started its aggression against Ukraine, the West and EU Member States multiplied conventional arms exports toward the continent to reinforce the Ukrainian Army’s capacities on the ground to face what appears to be the second most equipped conventional army in the world (Small arms survey, 2021).

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NATO Announces Fostering the Rapid Reaction Force

The Secretary-general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on 27 June that the Alliance is going to increase the capabilities of its rapid reaction force (NRF) by nearly eight times. The troops dedicated to this unit are going from 40.000 to 300.000, and their characteristic is, as the name suggests, that they can deploy quickly when needed.

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The EU Deploys a Cyber Defence Team to Support Ukraine

The European Union (EU) is mobilising a team of specialists, the Cyber Rapid Response Team (CRRT), to back up Ukrainian cybersecurity efforts during the current conflict. As the country is fighting on many fronts, this measure intends to strengthen the Ukrainian response to cyber-attacks by employing European expertise and capabilities.

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NATO Activates Response Force For The First Time

Recently, NATO activated the Alliance’s Response Force (NRF) for collective defence and deterrence for the first time. This measure comes as a response to “Russia’s massive military build-up” says NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. As Russia pushes deeper into Ukraine, units of the NRF, led by France, have already arrived in Romania and remain on high alert.

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