We Are The World

Back in the 80s, we had concerts to raise money for countries in need. The old song says, “There are people dying, and it’s time to lend a hand…” So we sent money and medicine and blankets. Today, people are still dying, and we are still lending a hand; but today, it is in the form of powerful rockets and missiles, each with a longer and longer reach.

Winter was in full swing when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in late February of 2022. As hard as it is to believe, the war has progressed through spring and summer, and now, we are in fall, looking at another long, cold winter of fighting. Then, much of the world thought Ukraine would be outgunned and taken over quickly by the mighty Russian army. Some 239 days later, we know that was not the case today.

From Albania to Uzbekistan, several nations rushed to the aid of Ukraine with humanitarian help and lots and lots of weapons. Today, we’ll look at some of those weapons and how they have helped Ukraine remain independent with firm hopes of a future free of Russian domination. Keep in mind that it is beyond this article’s scope to list every weapon system provided by every country over the course of many months. However, if you notice that we have left out something significant, please feel free to make a note of it in the comments. You can also check out the previous SOFREP report on Ukraine’s updated “wish list” here. 

An M777 howitzer is being used against Russian forces in Ukraine
An M777 howitzer is employed in eastern Ukraine against Russian forces. May 2022. Screenshot YouTube and The Sun

Only 48 hours after the start of the invasion, on February 26th, 2022, Reuters reported on President Joe Biden’s guidance to the US Senate to release $350 million worth of American weapons from our stockpiles as the Ukrainians struggled to repulse an active invasion. Biden directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to do this through the Foreign Assistance Act. In the first days of the war, Ukraine quickly asked for Javelin anti-armor weapons to crush Russian tanks and Stinger missiles to eliminate threats from the air.