Norway, UK to Donate Black Hornet Micro-Drones to Ukraine, Defense Ministry Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Norway and the United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with several Norwegian-made Black Hornet micro-drones as part of a joint aid package, the Norwegian defense ministry said on Wednesday.

"Norway and Great Britain are joining forces to acquire the Norwegian micro-drone Black Hornet as a donation to Ukraine. The cost will be up to 90 million Norwegian kroner [$9.2 million]," the statement read.

The drone's main purpose is reconnaissance and target identification.

The aid package will include Black Hornet units, spare parts, transportation and training. This donation will be financed by the UK-led fund to which Norway has contributed 400 million Norwegian kroner.

An anti-drone system Nightfighter, worth 100 million Norwegian kroner, from British company SteelRock Technologies will also be donated to Ukraine.

On February 24, Russia began the military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The US and its allies responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Russia while also ramping up their military support for Ukraine.

Western countries started sending arms and mercenaries to Ukraine months prior to the Russian operation. Moscow has repeatedly denounced the continuous flow of weapons to Kiev, saying that it fuels hostilities and derails the negotiation process. In April, Russia sent a note to NATO member states, condemning their military assistance to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any foreign-supplied weapon in the Ukrainian territory would be a legitimate target.