Australia to Send Bushmaster Military Vehicles to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (on screen) addresses the Australian Parliament in the House of Representatives chamber via a video link in Canberra, Australia, on March 31, 2022. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia has agreed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for Australian Bushmaster military vehicles to aid in the armoured defence against Russian forces.

Zelenskyy specifically requested the Bushmasters by name in a virtual address to Australia’s federal Parliament on March 31.

“We have to stop any intention from Russia to bypass sanctions. Most of all, we have to keep the heroes fighting these people armed,” he said, according to Sky News Australia.

“For example, you have very good armed personal vehicles, bushmasters, that could help Ukraine substantially.”

Responding to Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that despite their countries being “half the earth” apart, they shared the same respect for democracy and the freedom to live free from coercion and “brute fist of force.”

“Mr. President, the people of Australia, stand with Ukraine in your fight for survival. Yes, you have our prayers, but you also have our weapons, our humanitarian aid, our sanctions against those who seek to deny your freedom, and you even have our coal. And there will be more,” Morrison said.

The next day, Morrison confirmed Australia would send further military support, including the Bushmasters that Zelenskyy specifically requested.

An Australian Army bushmaster assists in conducting a route clearance in the Cobargo, NSW region in support of Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20. (SGT Bill Solomou/ADF)

“We will send out armoured vehicles, Bushmasters as well, and we will fly them over there on our C-17s to make sure they can be there to support,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney on April 1.

“I’ll be confirming those with the Ukrainian president. We’ve been in constant dialogue around a range of issues. You can anticipate the support will be greater.”

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said officials were working through how best to get the Bushmasters to where they’re needed, given the urgency inherent in the request.

Given the limitations of transporting Bushmasters on C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft, Dutton said the government might look at sourcing them from Germany.

In this image digitally altered for operational security reasons obtained by The Epoch Times, a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III aircraft delivers defensive military assistance into Europe in support of the Ukrainian government on March 9, 2022. (LSIS Jarrod Mulvihill/ADF)

“We’re just assessing the stocks of the Bushmasters overnight and what they’ve (Ukraine) asked for and what’s practical just in terms of deliveries and the quickest timelines,” Dutton told Sky News Australia on April 1.

“We’ve identified Bushmasters that we can send, and we’re just going through logistics of that now, whether we could get them there quickly enough.”

He said four C-17 military transport aircraft had already been sent to Ukraine, for which he said local authorities were very grateful.

Australia has already provided $116 million of military assistance for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and, on March 31, announced a further $25 million of defensive military assistance.

The additional $25 million packages will include tactical decoys, unmanned aerial and unmanned ground systems, rations, and medical supplies.

On top of the military support, Australia has provided $65 million for humanitarian aid, 70,000 tonnes of coal to help power Ukraine, and temporary protection visas and support for Ukrainian community groups in Australia.

The Australian government, in a release, said that at the request of Ukraine, it would not disclose further specific details of the support package or delivery arrangements.

“Australia stands with Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,” the release stated.

“We will continue to impose the maximum costs against Russia through targeted sanctions on individuals and entities, including President Putin and his circle of oligarchs and propagandists, military commanders and members of parliament.”