The Australian government announced additional military drones for Ukraine on the anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Reuters quoted deputy prime minister Richard Marles as saying that the unarmed drones would help provide “battlefield intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to the Ukrainian armed forces.”
The 33-million Australian dollar ($22.4 million) assistance takes Canberra’s overall military aid to Kyiv since the war began to 510 million Australian dollars ($346 million), including M113AS4 armored personnel carriers and Bushmaster multi-role protected vehicles.
Sanctions
Alongside, Canberra announced new sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, against 90 Russian individuals and 40 entities.
Those sanctioned include the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, state-owned media outlet Sputnik, the CEO of Channel One Russia, and the Task Force Rusich, an “armed separatist group involved in fighting in eastern Ukraine.”
Reuters quoted foreign affairs minister Penny Wong as saying that the additional sanctions were “targeting those in the Russian government who are helping prolong this war, those financing this war, and those spreading mistruths to justify this war.”
The announcement takes the total number of sanctioned individuals and entities to over 1,000.