How Western weapons transformed the war in Ukraine
2,807,419
Published 2023-03-24
Subscribe and turn on notifications š so you don't miss any videos: goo.gl/0bsAjO
When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, the US was hesitant to send more than supplies to the Ukrainian army. But when Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, the US changed its tune. President Joe Biden quickly began approving huge packages of weapons to help Ukraine stymie the Russian attack. And for the first couple of weeks, it worked. The Ukrainian army used weapons from the US and its Western allies to stop Russia from capturing Kiev.
As the war progressed, so did US help. It sent heavy artillery in the spring, and then agreed to eventually send tanks in winter 2023. But each time, it deliberated over whether Ukraine can effectively use the weapons, and whether they'll provoke Russia to escalate the conflict.
So far, that hasnāt happened, and the US and its allies are now considering sending Ukraine very advanced long-range missiles and F-16 fighter jets. Both would be game-changers for Ukraine.
Sources and further reading:
Stimson Center- www.stimson.org/2022/u-s-security-assistance-to-ukraine-breaks-all-precedents/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1679600857055035&usg=AOvVaw0BoV2nDHscvxIPa3G1yqoK
CSIS - www.csis.org/analysis/united-states-running-out-weā¦
Politico - www.politico.com/news/2023/01/28/pentagon-send-f-1ā¦
The Economist - www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/06/ukraine-is-buiā¦
Note: The headline on this piece has been updated.
Previous headline: How US weapons transformed the war in Ukraine, How Ukraine got so many weapons
Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: vox.com/video-newsletter
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com/
Support Vox's reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: vox.com/contribute-now
Shop the Vox merch store: vox.com/store
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: facebook.com/vox
Follow Vox on Twitter: twitter.com/voxdotcom
Follow Vox on TikTok: tiktok.com/@voxdotcom
All Comments (21)
-
I find it interesting that almost no one mentions the intelligence that the US provides to Ukraine. It's pretty valuable to know what to hit and when to hit it.
-
One extraordinary justification for supporting Ukraine seems to be consistently missed: Ukraine gave up over 1,000 nuclear weapons in exchange for a non-aggression treaty with Russia, and this enabled Russia to attack with impunity in 2014. If the world does not protect countries who gave up nukes for peace, why will any countries do so in the future?
-
I think there was a missed opportunity to touch on the military training provided to Ukraine after Crimea was invaded. I'm sure other countries were involved but the Canadian operation UNIFIER is the one I'm familiar with. Surely this training has had a profound impact on the Ukrainian army's ability to fight and use these weapons effectively. They haven't just been given weapons thoughtlessly, they were trained to fight like the west.
-
Don't know whether somebody still watches this video, but thanks for all the support (not only military) you're giving!
-
Another mistake is vox forgets to mention that within the antebellum period between the 2014 invasion and the 2022 invasion Ukraine modernized its forces with NATO assistance . They didn't sit idly and wait for Russias subsequent attack
-
>without the deaths of American soldiers >without using the latest equipment such as the F-35 and Abrams A1M2 SEPv4 >for just 6% of the US defence budget for 2023 And Russia is forced to mobilise, use 1940s tanks and still can't take a small Ukrainian town for 7 months. What a bargain!
-
I think it is very important to mention that after the collapse of the Soviet Union Ukraine still had a lot of nuclear weapons, which was inconvenient for Europe and the United States. And Ukraine agreed to give all nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for security guarantees from the largest countries in Europe and the United States. Among other things, this is why Ukraine has the right to ask for help from these countries.
-
Poland is being overlooked in this video. Without Poland's help which was the fastest, Ukraine would lose already.
-
I donāt know if I would call a javelin a ārelatively unsophisticated weaponā
-
The UK was the first to commit to sending main battle tanks, not Germany or the US. (This has now been corrected in the video)
-
A point to remember is that at the start of the full scale invasion the thinking was that Ukraine would fall to the Russians and the US would rerun the Afghanistan playbook from when the soviets invaded. The CIA can sneak in manportable weapons to an insurgency group, they can't do that for vehicles.
-
Vox i freaking love your small documentarys. its the best youtube docs i have seen. keep up the good work love your way to explain and show it.
-
You forget that Poland send 250 T-72 tanks in first weeks. Those thans was as good as Russian tanks.
-
0:50 They are not seeing the bigger picture, "the historic number" is only a fraction of the money the US spent on Afghanistan and Iraq. Proxy wars are cost efficient.
-
That's why one needs own abilities, not only to look at the lips of strong (?) allies, expressing concern and going through their dilemmas
-
Give thanks to what you take for granted, imagine losing everything In blink of an eye. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, you are a strong resilient people and this war will be won not by just a battle victory but the mindset in which you know you cannot be divided nor broken.
-
US is mostly sending old stock in storage that would need to be replaced anyway and has commited a tiny percentage of its huge economy to supporting Ukraine compared to other European countries. It is an unbelievably good investment compared to the hundreds of billions the US spends every year on defense since it seriously degrades Russias combat ability
-
Correction: In January 2023, the UK agreed to send Ukraine advanced tanks. The US agreed to send their advanced tanks after that, followed by Germany and other allies. And at 5:34, the tank shown is an Abrams battle tank, not a Leopard battle tank. EDIT: Weāve updated the video to reflect these changes.
-
āUnsophisticatedā weapons: āJavelinsā
-
May 2023: F16 Let's Gooooooo!! ššŖšæšŗš¦
