To ensure that the Ukrainian army remains combat-ready even in the cold season, NATO has promised the government in Kyiv that it will supply warm clothing and the appropriate equipment. Some countries have already taken action in recent weeks.
NATO wants to equip Ukrainian troops with winter equipment and thus support their fight against the Russian invaders. Among other things, warm clothing, winter boots and tents are to be delivered, as diplomats have confirmed. Around 40 million euros are available for this.
The plans were drawn up at the request of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. According to information from the "Spiegel", Resnikov wrote to NATO at the end of July, asking for warm clothing and winter-proof tents for 200,000 men to be delivered quickly.
In principle, NATO had already decided at its summit meeting in Madrid at the end of June to provide additional assistance in areas such as military protective equipment, anti-drone defense and secure communications. "We have more than a dozen new projects in preparation for winter," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about two weeks ago. Winter is coming and it will be hard.
Since the request from Kyiv, the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland have already promised to supply winter equipment. The search for additional equipment is obviously complicated. According to "Spiegel", the depots of most NATO members are largely reserved for their own needs. In addition, winter-proof military clothing is currently a coveted commodity on the world market.
It was only in February that the Bundeswehr made negative headlines because of a lack of winter clothing. The military commissioner Eva Högl complained about the alarming lack of equipment among the Bundeswehr soldiers who are supposed to deter the Russian army at the Rukla military base in Lithuania. The troops would be missing thick jackets and underwear, she told the "Augsburger Allgemeine".
