Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers will be taught how to direct fire on enemies using 40 of New Zealand’s dial sights that we don’t need anymore.
It comes as Russian forces attempt to close off the last escape routes for parts of eastern Ukraine – trapping civilians and soldiers.
With a twist of the dial and the calculations just right, gunners from the 16th Field Regiment are ready to take aim. But instead of them taking the shot, they’ll teach Ukrainians how to use our dial sights.
“I know we’ve announced 230 [troops] but we’re still waiting for those confirmed numbers out of Ukraine to make sure we train the numbers they need,” says commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Dean Gerling.
Targets can’t be seen through the sight, but instead help make sure the L119 light gun, which has a range of 11km, is pointed in the right direction. That’s so when the Ukrainians do fire, they hit their Russian targets.
“They are surplus because they were removed from the guns approximately eight years ago as we updated our technology,” explains Lt Col Gerling.
The New Zealand Defence Force is donating 40 dial sights for the training of Ukrainians in the United Kingdom. From there, it’s likely they’ll be used by soldiers in their fight against Russia.
That fight is intensifying. Russian forces have just taken control of three towns in the Donetsk region, trying to trap Ukrainian civilians and soldiers in the country’s east.
For residents, even stopping to talk to reporters can be dangerous. But this is as close as New Zealand will get to the war, giving Ukrainians the ability to aim at their Russian targets.
“The United Kingdom are looking to bring in some Ukrainian interpreters and translators,” says Lt Col Gerling.
But when it comes to this war, the translation between Russia and the rest of the world is clearly understood.
