Israel proposes new arms deal: Seized russian weapons to aid Ukraine
The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, met with Sharren Haskel, Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her proposal involves supplying Ukraine with Russian weaponry seized by the IDF from the stockpiles of Hamas and Hezbollah. Here's what Ukrainians can potentially expect.
Sharren Haskel submitted a bill to the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) regarding the transfer of Russian-made weaponry seized from the arsenals of Hamas and Hezbollah to Ukraine. If the vote is successful, Ukraine will receive a supply of weaponry difficult for Western countries to obtain.
In addition, the interlocutors emphasized that this initiative will represent an important step in recognizing the common threats both countries face. Topics also included military cooperation between Iran and Russia, which threatens the national security of Ukraine and Israel. The ambassador stressed that effectively countering this threat is in the mutual interest of both nations.
Hamas arsenal — an ideal source of ammunition for drones
In the case of weapons from Hamas stockpiles, Ukraine could rely on small arms, handheld anti-tank weapons, and artillery in the form of mortars. The discussion is solely about Russian weapons, so it is uncertain whether Iranian or locally made weapons by Hamas will be included.
Ammunition for Russian rifles would likely be welcome, as the production of certain calibres is limited in Western countries. For instance, PG-7VL grenades for RPG-7 grenade launchers capable of penetrating about 50 cm of armour steel or tandem "Yasin" (a copy of PG-7VR) with penetration up to 76 cm would be ideally suited for anti-tank FPV drones.
Furthermore, mortar shells would serve as the ideal payload for "Baba Jaga" type drones capable of carrying even 20 kg of cargo. Ukrainians are even capable of recycling unexploded ordnance, so Hamas's homemade weapons could prove helpful.
Hezbollah arsenal — rocket ammunition for rare post-Soviet systems and good anti-tank weapons
The situation appears more promising with the Hezbollah arsenal, which also includes heavy weapons such as rockets for the BM-21 Grad and BM-27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems. Ukraine no longer has rockets, especially for the latter, and allied Western nations have no source for them.
BM-27 Uragan uses unguided rockets with a 220 mm calibre and a range of about 35 km, although rockets with a range of up to 60 km have also been developed. Each rocket contains a 90 kg warhead in a high-explosive fragmentation or cluster version with bomblets, anti-personnel, or anti-tank mines.
Moreover, Ukrainians can count on rockets for BM-21 Grad systems with a range of about 20 km and a fairly extensive assortment of anti-tank-guided missiles. Hezbollah had large stocks of launchers and missiles for systems such as the 9M14 Malyutka, 9K111 Fagot, 9M113 Konkurs, and the new Russian 9M133 Kornet.
With a range of 5 km, the latter can penetrate even 100 cm of armour steel behind single-layer reactive armour. For this reason, they pose a significant threat to most tanks used in Ukraine. Currently, Ukrainians have substantial shortages in modern anti-tank weaponry, and a delivery of several hundred Kornets would be greatly beneficial.
