U.S. Transfers Seized Iranian Small Arms to Ukraine
The transfer includes 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and machine guns, along with over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition—enough to equip a brigade of the Ukrainian Army
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 15/04/2024
KYIV OBLAST, UKRAINE - MARCH 16: A Ukrainian soldier takes part in training exercises near the Belarus border in Chernobyl, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine on March 16, 2024.
The US Central Command announced the transfer of enough small arms to equip a brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, originating from the thousands of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition seized in recent years from Iranian shipments to the Houthis in Yemen. The transfer, announced last week, includes 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers, machine guns, and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
The Firearm Blog notes that this is not the first transfer of seized small arms to Ukraine, with a previous transfer occurring in October 2023 when 1.1 million rounds of unspecified 7.62mm ammunition were transferred. In terms of the types of rifles likely transferred, previously released images of the seized arms largely appear to be of Chinese origin (7.62x39mm Type 56 AKs) and Russian origin (VEPR AKS20U in 5.45x39mm).
In February 2023, the US Navy reported that "more than 5,000 weapons and 1.6 million rounds of ammunition" had been seized since the beginning of the year. In 2021, approximately 9,000 weapons were intercepted on their way to the Houthis.
The transfer includes 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and machine guns, along with over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition—enough to equip a brigade of the Ukrainian Army
KYIV OBLAST, UKRAINE - MARCH 16: A Ukrainian soldier takes part in training exercises near the Belarus border in Chernobyl, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine on March 16, 2024.
The US Central Command announced the transfer of enough small arms to equip a brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, originating from the thousands of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition seized in recent years from Iranian shipments to the Houthis in Yemen. The transfer, announced last week, includes 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers, machine guns, and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
The Firearm Blog notes that this is not the first transfer of seized small arms to Ukraine, with a previous transfer occurring in October 2023 when 1.1 million rounds of unspecified 7.62mm ammunition were transferred. In terms of the types of rifles likely transferred, previously released images of the seized arms largely appear to be of Chinese origin (7.62x39mm Type 56 AKs) and Russian origin (VEPR AKS20U in 5.45x39mm).
In February 2023, the US Navy reported that "more than 5,000 weapons and 1.6 million rounds of ammunition" had been seized since the beginning of the year. In 2021, approximately 9,000 weapons were intercepted on their way to the Houthis.
