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Australia will gift 14 rigid hull boats to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the latest round of military support, valued at $14 million.
The military support is expected to bolster Ukraine’s maritime and coastal defence, which has been an important operational domain for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Australian Defence Force sea boats are expected to provide a fast and highly manoeuvrable maritime capability for Ukraine.
The announcement builds on previous contributions to Ukraine’s maritime capability, including rigid hulled inflatable boats, as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister during a visit to Ukraine earlier this year.
“Australia remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. This is in Australia’s interests, and is the right thing to do,” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said.
“Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to thwart Russia’s continued attacks from the Black Sea.
“We are proud to contribute to these vital maritime defences with this new package.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Australia has provided more than $1.3 billion in military support and more than $1.5 billion in overall support to the government of Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Australia announced the gifting of 49 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as part of a military assistance package worth around $245 million.
The main battle tanks are expected to bolster the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its fight against Russian military forces, as well as add to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s firepower and mobility and complement partners’ support for Ukraine’s armoured brigades.
