Ukraine's military spy chief is asking Canada for its decommissioned rockets to replenish its dwindling supply of arms.
"We need a lot of equipment, both ammunition, munitions in general, artillery munitions — lots of types of equipment," Kyrylo Budanov told Canadian media outlet Global News in a report published on Monday.
Budanov, who heads Ukraine's military intelligence, has his sights set on Canada's decommissioned CRV7 ground attack rockets.
A spokesperson for the Canadian military confirmed with Global News that they have 83,303 CRV7 rockets that are pending disposal.
But the Canadians have yet to hand over the rockets, as they had concerns over the safety and stability of the decades-old CRV7s.
"We have no concerns," Budanov said in response to the Canadian's apprehensions.
A representative for Canada's defense minister, Bill Blair, told BI they needed to ensure that the CRV7s were "operationally effective and safe to transport to Ukraine before any potential donation."
"At every step of the way, we have examined all possible military donations from our own stocks — and have made significant donations of CAF equipment including M777 howitzers and Leopard 2 tanks," the spokesperson told BI.
The Ukrainians aren't the only ones grappling with arms shortages. Their foes, the Russians, had to turn to the North Koreans for missile launchers and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine has been heavily reliant on Western support for its war efforts. The US has provided over $43 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded them in February 2022.
February 8, 3:15 a.m. — This story has been updated with comments from a representative for Canda's defense minister.
