Norway has decided to transfer Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.
According to Aftenposten, this was stated by Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram on April 20, European Pravda writes.
"The Mistral air defense system is an effective weapon that was used in the navy and will be very useful for Ukraine," the minister said. According to him, the weapons have already been sent.
Virtually the entire stock of Norwegian Mistrals is being transferred to Ukraine - about a hundred missiles. They planned to replace them with other weapons, so this will not have consequences for the capabilities of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense explained. In Norway, they were used on destroyers and corvettes.
"These missiles are gradually being withdrawn from service with the Norwegian Armed Forces, but they are still modern and effective weapons... Other countries have also provided similar systems," Gram said.
Mistrals are used in a number of countries and are available as portable weapons and for use from launchers on vehicles, ships and helicopters. The range of hitting targets is up to 6 kilometers. The weapon is intended for use against aircraft and helicopters moving at low altitude.
Earlier, Norway transferred 4,000 anti-tank missiles, protective equipment and more to Ukraine. With the provision of ammunition, Norway departed from its principle since 1959 not to supply weapons to warring countries.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address to the Norwegian parliament on March 30, called for weapons to be provided so that Ukrainians could defend themselves. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store then said that the government was considering providing more assistance.
The opposition also called for more active support for Ukraine - the Liberal Party said that Norway was helping "too little and too slowly"; the Conservative Party also said that they expressed their full support to the government in order to transfer the Mistrals to Ukraine.
Recall that on February 28, the Norwegian government decided to transfer weapons to Ukraine. The country took this step despite a policy in place since the 1950s to withhold arms from countries at war.
Later, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense announced the transfer of another 2,000 M72 LAW anti-tank grenade launchers to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, although it had already delivered the same batch earlier.
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