US to send $500M in aid to Ukraine after Wagner Group rebellion

In the United States’ first notable action regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the Wagner Group staged a rebellion against Moscow over the weekend, President Joe Biden is expected to announce up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine. The announcement is expected Tuesday, June 27. The package is set to include:

• 30 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
• 25 armored Stryker vehicles to Ukraine.
• Missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Patriot air defense systems.
• Javelin and high-speed anti-radiation (HARM) missiles.
• Demolition munitions.
• Obstacle-clearing equipment.
• A wide range of artillery rounds and other ammunition.
  

The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly in its early stages. Despite this, spokesperson for the Joint Chief of Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine reported success in various directions of the frontline Tuesday.

“They are inflicting fire damage with artillery at the identified enemy targets, and carrying out counter-battery measures,” Oleksandr Shtupun said of Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday. “The Russian occupation troops are suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment.”

The latest military aid package marks the 41st time since the invasion began that the U.S. has provided military weapons and equipment to Ukraine through presidential drawdown authority. The program allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine.

According to the Pentagon, the U.S. has delivered more than $15 billion in weapons and equipment to Ukraine. The U.S. has committed an additional $6.2 billion in supplies that haven’t yet been identified. The additional commitment is the result of an accounting error.

The announcement of the Ukraine military aid is set to come the same day Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had the mutiny charges he could’ve faced officially dropped. Russia’s Federal Security Service said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny, which lasted less than 24 hours after Prigozhin declared it Friday, “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.”

“An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case. The organizers of the rebellion, despite the loss of adequacy, could not fail to understand this,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday, June 26. “They understood everything, including the fact that they went to criminal acts, to split and weaken the country, which is now confronting a colossal external threat.”

A jet linked to Prigozhin arrived in Belarus Tuesday. That’s where he was expected to go following the deal he struck with the Kremlin to have his charges dropped and end the group’s march on Moscow. 

Because the Ukraine aid packages are generally planned in advance, the contents of the package weren’t likely chosen based on the Wagner Group rebellion. It wasn’t clear if Ukrainian forces will be able to take advantage of the disarray in the Russian ranks.

“I’ll emphasize, as the president did just a little bit ago, that it’s too early to speculate on the impact these events might have or to reach any definitive conclusions, except one, of course, and that is that no matter what happens next, we’re going to stay closely coordinated with those allies and partners, and we’re going to continue to stand with Ukraine,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. “As we’re speaking here right now, Ukrainian forces are still fighting for their country. They’re still trying to claw back captured territory. They’re still taking and they’re still inflicting casualties. So, whatever occurred in Russia this past weekend did not change those facts. Didn’t change the facts for us. Didn’t change those facts for Ukraine. And they absolutely are not going to change our continued support.”