Poland mulls boosting Ukraine's defence with Soviet-era arsenal
Andrzej Duda held talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which military support for Ukraine was also discussed. The Polish president mentioned the possibility of sending additional help in the form of Soviet-era missiles and air defence systems to the front. But what kind of weapon could this be?
The Ukrainian portal Defence Express, specializing in military matters, noted that Poland had been a source not only of missiles for Soviet air defence systems but also of the systems themselves. Andrzej Duda highlighted that Poland still has reserves that could be leveraged to support their ally battling Russian aggression.
Will Poland provide more help to Ukraine?
"Today, in our meeting, we discussed certain proposals with President Zelenskyy. There are still Soviet-era missiles currently in Polish reserves. We talked about sending them to bolster Ukraine's anti-missile defences. I intend to keep pushing this agenda. I'll bring this up with the Minister of National Defense upon my return to Warsaw," said Andrzej Duda, as reported by Ukrainian media.
Poland has already sent significant military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft weapons. This arsenal includes Polish-made anti-aircraft missile systems Piorun, as well as ZU-23-2CP systems, which are Polish upgrades of the Soviet anti-aircraft gun ZU-23-2, ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", Osa-AKM-P1 "Stinger", and S-125 Newa SC.
The Defence Express portal acknowledges the difficulty in precisely estimating the available reserves of anti-aircraft systems and missiles in Polish storage. Yet, ongoing maintenance contracts for these systems suggest they are still in supply.
The S-125 Newa SC from Poland in Ukraine
Ukrainians have long sought more support from the West to counter Russian airstrikes and artillery. While the advanced Patriot systems are highly sought after, delivering them has been challenging for allies.
Thus, older systems are frequently employed for urban defence. Recently, footage emerged online showing S-125 Newa SC systems from Poland defending the airspace over Odessa. The missiles from the S-125 Newa can hit targets up to about 25 kilometres away and reach altitudes of up to about 18 kilometres.
