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PLAYBOOK SLUG: Ukraine Javelin – Kosstutschenko
HEADLINE: Ukrainian soldiers rely on US Javelin anti-tank missiles
TEASER:
PUBLISHED: 06/xx/2024 at
BYLINE: Anna Kosstutschenko
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Eastern Ukraine
VIDEOGRAPHER: Pavel Suhodolskiy
VIDEO EDITOR: Pavel Suhodolskiy
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; Baragona
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Story Hunter
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:32
TYPE: TVPKG
VID APPROVED BY: KE
VIDEO FOR REFERENCE:
((INTRO:))
[[Javelin anti-tank missile systems are part of a new $275 million aid package the United States is sending to Ukraine. Since 2022, the Javelin has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russia’s aggression. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story.]]
((NARRATION))
((Mandatory courtesy: Oleh Romanov))
((NATS)) ((Javelin strike))
((End courtesy))
((NARRATION)) ((Graffiti of St Javelin; soldiers in the woods with Javelin))
St. Javelin – this is what Ukrainians have been calling the U.S. anti-tank missile system since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
That’s because Ukrainian soldiers say these shoulder-fired rockets have proven to be a devastating all-weather weapon against Russian armored vehicles and even helicopters.
This 34-year-old chief sergeant of an anti-tank battalion from Poltava goes by his call sign Yar. He says the missile’s heat-seeking targeting system is very effective even at night.
((Yar, Ukrainian Armed Forces)) ((UKR))
“Because there is a dramatic difference in temperature [[between the target and cool night air]], evaporation of moisture coming from the ground does not hinder the view.”
((NARRATION))
One person can operate a Javelin alone, but usually, a team of 2 or 3 soldiers do it together.
On the training ground, this 35-year-old fighter who goes by the call sign Mercedes trains alongside 22-year-old combat medic known as Poet. Neither man wanted to share his name for security reasons. They both volunteered to join the military within the first few days after Russia’s invasion; to join the armed forces, Poet dropped out of the University in Kharkiv and Mercedes quit his business.
((Mercedes, Ukrainian Armed Forces))
“It was a business I really liked and I wanted to expand, but these horrible people [[Russians]] came and ruined everything…”
((NARRATION))
The Javelin is what the Pentagon calls a fire-and-forget weapon, explains Sergeant Yar.
((Yar, Ukrainian Armed Forces)) ((UKR))
“After launch, you do not need to watch it closely and adjust the target, the missile does everything itself. Well done, Americans! They did a very good job with this system. It is not only guided by thermal imaging, but also automatically verifies the picture.”
((NARRATION))
The war in Ukraine has made the Javelin a much more popular weapon, both in and outside Ukraine. Its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, is nearly doubling the production of the missile. By the end of 2026, they plan to produce nearly 4,000 missiles annually.
((Anna Kosstutschenko for VOA News, Eastern Ukraine))
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