UK to send heated tents and cold weather gear to Ukraine ahead of perilous winter
The UK is sending heated tents and extreme cold weather sleeping kits to Ukraine to help the country’s armed forces cope with plummeting temperatures there.
A further 12,000 kits are being provided to the country’s armed forces, along with 150 of the tents.
The kits contain a cold weather sleeping bag, bivvy bag and roll mat.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the items were being made available in addition to “lethal aid”.
The UK is also on course to deliver 25,000 sets of extreme cold weather clothing by mid-December, Downing Street said.
They include an insulated jacket, trousers and extra-warm boots, gloves and socks.
They are on top of more than 7,000 sets of normal cold weather kit distributed to recruits on Operation Interflex, Number 10 added.
Operation Interflex is the name given to the training of Ukrainian troops pioneered by the UK.
Mr Wallace said the equipment would help the Ukrainians to “operate effectively through the next few months”.
He added: “Alongside our training programme and the provision of lethal aid, it demonstrates our commitment to making sure that the basic Ukrainian soldier is well trained, well equipped and given the best possible chance to fight and determine their own future.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Russia ‘paid Iran €140m for drones’
The announcement coincides with a visit from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Downing Street on Wednesday – the first international leader Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hosted at Number 10 since taking office last month.
Before arriving in Westminster, Mr Stoltenberg will visit Ukrainian troops at Lydd Army Camp in Kent.
He will watch as recruits are put through their paces by UK military trainers, preparing them for active service on the front line in Ukraine.
Once across the table from the prime minister, Mr Stoltenberg and the PM will discuss both the ongoing war in Ukraine and how best Kyiv can be supported.
There will also be some discussion of the Integrated Review – an assessment of the UK’s national security policies.
Read more:
Russia flew €140m in cash and captured Western weapons to Iran in return for deadly drones, source claims
Zelenskyy reveals how much forest destroyed by Russia’s war
Regarding the UK’s relationship with the military alliance, Downing Street said: “The UK is the largest European contributor to NATO, and has committed both our aircraft carrier and our nuclear capability to the alliance.”
Speaking ahead of Mr Stoltenberg’s visit, Rishi Sunak said: “NATO is the cornerstone of our security, and the security of our allies. As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, we must not take peace at home for granted.
“I am determined the UK will be the bedrock of NATO for generations to come. But in order to face the challenges of the future we must evolve as an alliance to meet, and remain ahead of, the threat from our adversaries.
“We must also continue backing the Ukrainian people in their resistance to Putin’s brutality.
“I’m pleased that UK-donated kit will be keeping the Ukrainian armed forces warm and safe as they face a perilous winter fighting for their country.”
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway