Sweden supplies Ukraine with Robot 17 missile

The Robot 17 is an anti-ship missile system that is made for coastal defence. It is a man-portable weapon that can be launched from a shoreline firing post and naval vessels.

The weapon is part of a $102million (£82million) support package which also NATO’s fund for Ukrainian armed forces, 5,000 anti-tank launchers, AG90 rifles and ammunition. It also includes financial aid for Ukrainian banks, Express reports.

According to the Swedish Ministry of Defence, Ukraine’s Government specifically asked for the Robot 17 to deal with increasing Russian presence in the coastal areas of the country’s southeast.

“It threatens international peace and security and is a violation of international law".

This comes after Russian News Agency TASS reported that a large Russian naval force of 12 landing ships is "ready to perform tasks for its intended purpose in the Black Sea."

A source in the Crimean authorities told TASS: "For the first time, such a large grouping of the Russian Navy operates in the Black Sea, which consists of twelve large landing ships of the Northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets.

“These BDKs (large landing vessels) are now ready to perform their intended tasks as part of a special military operation.”

Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been blockading the port city of Odessa, a key export route for Ukraine’s agricultural exports to reach Europe, for weeks.

The result has been that Ukraine has been cut off to Black Sea access, and even neutral commercial ships have been stuck at Ukrainian ports.

This has sparked fears of a food crisis and has been a threat for Ukraine agricultural exports, responsible for 41 percent of its economy.