Britain sent military equipment to Ukraine that was to be ‘scrapped’: report

For example, in March 2022, the United Kingdom donated 17,010 pairs of unused military boots that were “nearing the end of their useful lives,” the report said.

The equipment donated from UK stocks between February 2022 and March 2024 was valued at 171.5 million pounds, or about $224.5 million, it added.

The report added that the UK has pledged to donate 7.8 billion pounds, or about $10.2 billion, to the Ukrainian military before March 2025, making it the country’s third-largest donor after the US and Germany.

“As the Ministry of Defense plans its future support, it must continue to balance the UK’s strategic interests with maintaining the UK’s own military capabilities,” Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said in a statement to the Financial Times.

“This includes ensuring that there are adequate stocks of equipment and sufficient training for British forces,” he added.

“The war has tested our stockpiles, but it is a good thing for us that we have disposed of the old equipment and can now replace it with new equipment,” an unnamed defense official told the FT.

The report estimated that Britain would spend 2.5 million pounds, or about $3.2 million, to replace the donated stock.

It comes against the background of criticism regarding the military equipment provided by the West to Ukraine.

Ukraine has received military aid from its allies over time The full-scale invasion of Russia, which began in February 2022.

But Western aid has often come in crisis as Ukraine’s allies debate what and how much to give, leaving frontline soldiers struggling with shortages at various times.

In April, a senior military officer, speaking to Politicalhe said Ukraine they are fighting the weapons of the West because they are no longer a significant match for Russia.

“Often we just don’t get the weapon systems when we need them — they come when they’re no longer relevant,” the officer said.

“Every weapon has its right moment. The F-16 was needed in 2023; they won’t be right for 2024,” he said.

The same NAO report investigated the impact of military training provided to Ukrainian soldiers in the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Kosovo and Australia.

The various training sessions took place in the UK and covered weapons handling, trench warfare, law of armed conflict, urban warfare, live fire practice and combat inoculation, the report said.

According to self-assessments cited by the NAO, around 89% of people who took the training said they felt better equipped to survive war.

However, others said some elements could be better geared to conditions in Ukraine. For example, they said there was a lack of drone training, which the Ministry said was due to “military and civil aviation restrictions”.

It added that it is “exploring ways to mitigate the shortfall,” the report said.

“All UK forces have access to the relevant training they need to be ready to protect the UK and meet our NATO commitments,” a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider.

“But we welcome the NAO report, which recognizes that Ukrainian troops are better prepared to defend their country against Russia’s illegal invasion thanks to training provided by the UK,” they added.

In July, the global military alliance NATO pledged to continue supporting Ukraine through NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, a new initiative to coordinate the provision of military aid and training.

It comes as future US support remains unclear ahead of the election. In April, Congress approved a $61 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine that was suspended due to opposition from far-right Republicans.

“Such a large aid package could be the last this year,” a former Ukrainian officer who operates the Frontelligence Insight newsletter said in comments cited by Financial Times.

“Furthermore, there is a fairly high probability that any subsequent aid packages for Ukraine will be much smaller in size,” they added.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.