- Ukrainian soldiers shouted “God save the Queen!” when using UK-made weapons, The Sunday Times said.
- As of March 9, the UK had sent Ukraine 3,615 NLAW anti-tank missiles, the UK defense secretary said.
- The Sunday Times said Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the weapons in calls with Boris Johnson.
Ukrainian soldiers shouted “God save the Queen!” when they fired weaponry given to the country by the UK, The Sunday Times of London reported, citing an anecdote that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told.
It’s one of several lighthearted details described in the paper’s report on the calls between Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in which they discussed the UK sending weapons to Ukraine to defend against Russia.
As of March 9 the UK had sent 3,615 anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs — next-generation light anti-tank weapons — to assist Ukraine, Sky News reported, citing UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
Journalists from MailOnline — a British publication — were also greeted with “God save the Queen!” during a reporting trip to a base where Ukrainian soldiers were being trained to use NLAWs, the MailOnline reported.
Reuters
The Sunday Times reported that in a recent call, Zelenskyy serenaded the UK prime minister with two songs adapted to play on the similar sound of NLAW and “in love” when pronounced in Ukrainian, which sometimes voices a W sound as a V.
They were “All You Need Is N-Love,” based on The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” and “When You’re Young and in Love” by The Marvelettes, the paper said.
NLAWs are shoulder-mounted weapons capable of firing a single 150 mm high-explosive anti-tank missile up to 2,600 feet. They are built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by the French company Thales, and they have been highly praised in Ukraine’s defense.
They’ve enabled many of the tank ambushes that have slowed Russia’s invasion.
A video published by Sky News on February 26 showed the aftermath of a Ukrainian attack, where a soldier carried an NLAW not far from the smoldering ruins of tanks on a highway.
—Sky News (@SkyNews) February 26, 2022
James Cleverly, a minister in the UK foreign office and a former soldier, was among many in the UK to celebrate the contributions of the weapons, alongside other UK military donations.
“British desert uniform, British DPM waterproofs, British NLWs, Ukrainian spirit. A great combination,” he tweeted on February 26.
—James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) February 26, 2022
