Happy Monday, everybody! The new edition of Arms Trends in Ukraine is ready for your attention. As usual, I’ve curated the key stories in English, Ukrainian, and Russian, and included multiple additional resources and news, so you’ll have a clear understanding of what has been happening in Ukraine over the past week.
The top stories I’ve selected for you this time include Israel’s offer to transfer Russian trophy weapons to Ukraine, as well as the major scandal between Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and the Defense Procurement Agency—let’s hope this won’t impact Ukraine’s ability to implement transparent procurement procedures. In addition, we’ll dive into the prospects of future Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations and some interesting stories about the work of Ukraine’s air-defense unit, as well as an exemplary Khartiia, or the 13th National Guard Brigade.
Military Transfers and Cooperation Between Ukraine and Its Partners
One of the most interesting developments last week was Israel’s offer to hand over seized Russian-made weapons to Ukraine during an official meeting on Jan. 21.
Throughout Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, more than 60 percent of the weapons reportedly captured by the Israel Defense Forces were of Russian origin. These included Draganov sniper rifles, SPG-9 launchers, Kornet anti-tank missiles, and a 9P163-1 portable launcher for the Kornet-E. Meanwhile, other arms appearing to have been made in Iran included 107-millimeter rockets, 81-millimeter mortars, PG-7 AT rounds, and the Toophan anti-tank guided missile system.
These developments unfold amidst growing Russia-Iran cooperation, following the signing of the “comprehensive strategic partnership” between Moscow and Tehran in mid-January 2025.
On Jan. 25, OSINTdefender reported that several U.S. Air Force planes conducted flights from Ramstein Air Base in Germany, to Hatzerim Airbase in Southern Israel, before then flying to Rzeszów in Eastern Poland, which serves as the Hub for almost all Military Aid provided by the U.S. and NATO to Ukraine. This may suggest that transfers of Russian weaponry to Ukraine have already begun.
Background: Israel initially responded very cautiously to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, falling short of the support Ukrainians hoped for. While Israel condemned the invasion and provided limited aid, such as humanitarian assistance and an aerial warning system, it refrained from supplying weaponry.
Over time, however, Israel’s stance appeared to shift. Since the October 7 Hamas invasion and massacre in southern Israel, Russia has repeatedly criticized Israel, including at the UN Security Council, and has hosted Hamas leaders—moves widely viewed as an extension of Moscow’s increasingly close ties with Iran.
Although Israel reportedly refused Ukraine’s earlier offer to collaborate on countering Iranian-made drones, reports from November 2024 indicated that Israel and Ukraine had begun cooperation on addressing these drone threats.
Additional developments in this category:
The U.S. government might consider purchasing American weapons for Ukraine with money received from frozen Russian assets, according to Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's peace envoy for Ukraine.
Ukraine and Italy have discussed using frozen Russian assets to procure Italian-made systems and ammunition for Kyiv. Currently, approximately 210 billion euros ($216 billion) in assets from the Central Bank of Russia are held in the EU and remain frozen under sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine and Albania signed a long-term agreement on cooperation and support. The agreement covers such aspects as security and defense, cyber defense, cooperation in defense, intelligence, security, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) safety and security. The agreement also committed Albania to its participation in the fighter jet coalition by providing English language training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians
Sweden is expected to make a positive decision regarding the allocation of a new military assistance package to Ukraine. This aid package will be the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In addition to providing weapons, this aid package will include investments in Ukrainian defense production, in particular, to increase long-range capabilities. It was also announced that a partnership is planned to be established for the maintenance and repair of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.
According to investigators, Denmark has quietly supplied Ukraine with 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzers. The self-propelled artillery systems were added to the list of military supplies to Ukraine. It is known that the country did not have these Soviet artillery systems in service. Also, there had been no official announcement of their transfer.
The German defense company KNDS Deutschland (Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann, KMW) has established a joint enterprise with the Ukrainian defense industry. It is reported that the newly created company will specialize in the maintenance and repair of military equipment supplied by the German company to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Ukraine received a new military aid package from Lithuania. The aid package includes Lithuanian-made drones, thermal imagers, and wheeled loaders.
Ukraine’s Military Production and Internal Affairs
A new scandal is unfolding between Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA).