These Are the High-Powered Weapons Ukraine Needs to Defeat Russia's Big Offensive

In the late winter of 2022, a few months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia looked poised to steamroll through the country. The size of its military forces and supplies of weapons made victory seem inevitable. After Russia launched its attack, it took only days for its battle tanks to reach the northern outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine's capital and locus of power, close to the geographical center of the country.

But then, to the surprise of the world, Ukraine pushed back, exposing unexpected disorganization within the Russian war operation. "The early phase is really defined by Ukrainian grit and skill, combined with a spectacularly incompetent Russian strategic plan," says Scott Boston, a senior defense analyst with the RAND Corporation.

Unfortunately, grit and skill couldn't sustain Ukraine for long. By summer, Russia's military potency had ground down resistance in swaths of territory in the eastern and southern parts of the country. Russia claimed those regions as its own and attempted to establish pro-Russian provisional governments. The U.S. and NATO allies had already sent Ukraine billions in weapons, but Russia's advances made it clear that more was needed—reports had emerged that Ukraine's soldiers were still launching homemade grenades, and its citizens were tossing Molotov cocktails to slow the Russian advances. By December, the U.S. alone had approved $19.3 billion worth of drones, howitzers, missiles, and rockets. Ukrainians would still be outnumbered and fighting in the streets, but they were finally getting the fearsome weapons they most needed.

That arsenal includes long-range rocket launchers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, powerful howitzers, and cruise missiles costing millions of dollars apiece. Together, these munitions have allowed Ukrainian soldiers to destroy command posts and equipment, defend key cities, and prevent Russia from establishing air superiority. As the supplies rolled in, Ukraine clawed back territory, which it is still attempting to hold as Russia has begun attacking Ukraine's power grid, water supplies, and residential areas.

As the war pushes into its second year and winter threatens to upend strategies on both sides, weapons provided by allies will be critical to future Ukrainian victories. Here are eight whose battlefield performance suggests they may eventually send Russia running.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE These Are the High-Powered Weapons Ukraine Needs to Defeat Russia's Big Offensive In the late winter of 2022, a few months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia looked poised to steamroll through the country. The size of its military forces and supplies of weapons made victory seem inevitable. After Russia launched its attack, it took only days for its battle tanks to reach the northern outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine's capital and locus of power, close to the geographical center of the country. But then, to the surprise of the world, Ukraine pushed back, exposing unexpected disorganization within the Russian war operation. "The early phase is really defined by Ukrainian grit and skill, combined with a spectacularly incompetent Russian strategic plan," says Scott Boston, a senior defense analyst with the RAND Corporation. Unfortunately, grit and skill couldn't sustain Ukraine for long. By summer, Russia's military potency had ground down resistance in swaths of territory in the eastern and southern parts of the country. Russia claimed those regions as its own and attempted to establish pro-Russian provisional governments. The U.S. and NATO allies had already sent Ukraine billions in weapons, but Russia's advances made it clear that more was needed—reports had emerged that Ukraine's soldiers were still launching homemade grenades, and its citizens were tossing Molotov cocktails to slow the Russian advances. By December, the U.S. alone had approved $19.3 billion worth of drones, howitzers, missiles, and rockets. Ukrainians would still be outnumbered and fighting in the streets, but they were finally getting the fearsome weapons they most needed. That arsenal includes long-range rocket launchers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, powerful howitzers, and cruise missiles costing millions of dollars apiece. Together, these munitions have allowed Ukrainian soldiers to destroy command posts and equipment, defend key cities, and prevent Russia from establishing air superiority. As the supplies rolled in, Ukraine clawed back territory, which it is still attempting to hold as Russia has begun attacking Ukraine's power grid, water supplies, and residential areas. As the war pushes into its second year and winter threatens to upend strategies on both sides, weapons provided by allies will be critical to future Ukrainian victories. Here are eight whose battlefield performance suggests they may eventually send Russia running. Read More How To Build the Ultimate DIY Workbench Smart design. Solid construction. On this workbench, you can build anything. Read More Supermassive Black Holes Could Explain Dark Energy's Mysterious Origins, Scientists Say New research says that monstrously-large black holes could be the cause of dark energy and the accelerating expansion of the universe—but there are some caveats. Read More Amazon's OEM Store Makes Shopping for Vehicle-Specific Parts Really Easy With Amazon Confirmed Fit, you can breezily search for whatever part your car needs. Read More China Is Trying to Quickly Launch 13,000 Satellites to Defeat Starlink How will Elon Musk and SpaceX respond? Read More The True Story of the 'Cocaine Bear' Drug Smuggler Is Even More Outrageous Than the Movie Cocaine Bear plays fast and loose with a lot of facts, but the story of drug smuggler's ill-fated plane trip is all too real. Read More Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection PopularMechanics.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019