UK to provide special firefighting vehicles to Ukraine

Britain said Friday it will provide 15 Rapid Intervention Vehicles and two Major Foam Vehicles to Ukraine ahead of the 500th day of the Russian war.

"The UK will provide 17 specialist firefighting vehicles to Ukraine's fire and rescue services, primarily sourced from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Defense Fire and Rescue, with one provided by the Welsh Government," said a statement from the Defense Ministry.

It noted the equipment will help bolster Ukraine's ability to respond to damage caused by Russian attacks.

"These specialist firefighting vehicles will boost Ukraine's ability to protect its infrastructure from Russia's campaign of missile and drone attacks and continue our support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes," Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in the statement.

In preparation for the arrival of the vehicles, the Ukrainian Military Fire Service personnel conducted training at RAF Wittering, the main operating base and headquarters for the RAF A4 Force which is a major station for flying training.