Russia, Ukraine war: Barnaby Joyce won't reveal what's inside Australia's $70m aid shipment


Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce won’t reveal weapons Australia is buying Ukraine claiming he could risk ’15 years in jail’.  

An Australian Air Force plane carrying critical military equipment and medical supplies departed for Ukraine on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the Federal Government will send $70million in lethal aid to help the nation fend off Russia’s invasion.

An Australian Air Force plane carrying critical military equipment and medical supplies departed for Ukraine on Wednesday (pictured, Air Force Aviators loading food supplies onto a C-27J Spartan aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, north of Adelaide in January)

An Australian Air Force plane carrying critical military equipment and medical supplies departed for Ukraine on Wednesday (pictured, Air Force Aviators loading food supplies onto a C-27J Spartan aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, north of Adelaide in January)

When ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar asked Mr Joyce the specific items the money will go towards, the Deputy Prime Minister refused to comment. 

‘As deputy chair of the national security committee, I can reliably inform you that it’s up to 15 years in jail if you say what goes on in that meeting,’ he said on Thursday. 

‘So, I’m not going to go into the details of what’s in that shipment.’

But Ms Millar pressed further, asking: ‘So, we’re not gonna know what we’re sending to Ukraine?’

‘To be quite frank, I would leave that for the Defence Minister, if he believes it’s appropriate to give further details on that,’ Mr Joyce fired back. 

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to reveal what was inside the shipment to ABC News Breakfast on Thursday claiming he could risk '15 years in jail' (pictured)

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to reveal what was inside the shipment to ABC News Breakfast on Thursday claiming he could risk ’15 years in jail’ (pictured)

Earlier in the week, Australia pledged to defensive supplies to Ukraine, the vast majority of which is ‘lethal aid’ – which could potentially include missiles and bullets.

A further $35million will be sent to provide shelter, food and water for hundreds of thousands of women and children who have become refugees after fleeing the warzone. 

During a press conference after a lengthy cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said supplying ‘anti-armour missiles’ to repel Russian tanks was a ‘huge priority’.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Vladimir Putin's forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion. Above: Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, coming under heavy attack on Monday

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Vladimir Putin’s forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion. Above: Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, coming under heavy attack on Monday

Ukrainian soldiers equipped with anti-tank weapons have so far been successful in repelling attacks and slowing Russia’s advance towards the capital Kyiv, however huge Russian columns are on the way. 

Mr Morrison today quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who earlier told allies ‘I don’t need a ride I need ammunition’ and said: ‘We will be answering the call’. 

This Maxar satellite image taken and released on February 28 shows part of a Russian military convoy in Ivankiv, north of Kyiv

This Maxar satellite image taken and released on February 28 shows part of a Russian military convoy in Ivankiv, north of Kyiv

‘We will be committing US$50 million to support both lethal and nonlethal defensive support for Ukraine. The overwhelming majority of that, that is some AU$70million, will be in the lethal category,’ he said. 

‘We are talking missiles, ammunition, we are talking supporting them in their defence of their own homeland in Ukraine and we will do that in partnership with NATO.’

Mr Morrison did not reveal exactly which weapons would be sent. 

‘I am not going to go into the specifics of that because I don’t plan to give the Russian government a heads up about what is coming their way but I can assure them it is coming your way,’ he said. 

A charred military vehicle is seen on a road, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region on Monday

A charred military vehicle is seen on a road, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region on Monday

Germany on Saturday announced it would supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles from its military stocks.

On Sunday US President Joe Biden approved $350million worth of kit to be sent, including Javelin anti-tank weapons. The UK has already sent 2,000 anti-tank missile launchers.

Australia will directly send some weapons and also transfer money to NATO partners for them to buy arms for delivery to Ukraine, Mr Morrison revealed.

Previous deliveries have arrived by air but with Ukrainian airspace now contested, US officials said they would look for ‘additional avenues to do that’. 

A Ukrainian refugee bus with women and children arrives in Brescia, Italy

A Ukrainian refugee bus with women and children arrives in Brescia, Italy

A Ukrainian family eat on a train for refugee relocation after leaving Ukraine. Men aged 18 to 60 were forced to stay to fight the Russians

A Ukrainian family eat on a train for refugee relocation after leaving Ukraine. Men aged 18 to 60 were forced to stay to fight the Russians

Ukraine’s president accused Russia of war crimes on Monday after Putin’s forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of the invasion. 

In a late night address directed at Russia, President Zelensky said there would ‘definitely be an international tribunal’ for what he said was a ‘violation of all conventions’ and added that ‘no one in the world will forgive you for killing peaceful Ukrainian people.’

In a panicked bid to reignite his stalled military onslaught, Putin had launched an indiscriminate bombing campaign on the eastern city of Kharkiv just 24 hours after local resistance had sent his troops packing from its streets.

Weapons rained down on the most Russia-friendly city in Ukraine – which sits 25 miles from the border and is home to 1.5million people – in a bid to break its will to resist.

The hail of bombs, shells and rockets which began falling at lunchtime left at least 11 dead, including three children, with homes and even a school reduced to rubble.

A military source told MailOnline that videos of the onslaught showed ‘cluster’ munitions – which are illegal under international law – had been used.

‘The BM-21 Grad is a multiple launch rocket system used for ‘area denial’, dropping cluster bombs on a concentrated area,’ the expert said. ‘It’s mainly used on enemy troops before an offensive. Used against civilians, it’s not only a war crime, but has only one purpose – to spread terror and alarm among the civilian population.’ 

Later on Monday, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. claimed that Russia used a devastating vacuum bomb on Ukraine.  

This map shows the locations of known Russian military strikes and ground attacks inside Ukraine. The information in this map is current as of February 28

This map shows the locations of known Russian military strikes and ground attacks inside Ukraine. The information in this map is current as of February 28

Oksana Markarova, speaking after briefing members of the U.S. congress, said: ‘They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention. The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.’ 

The vacuum bombs, which are also known as thermobaric weapons, can vaporise bodies and crush internal organs. They use oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive.

They are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed. 

Ms Markarova’s comments came after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he plans to open an investigation ‘as rapidly as possible’ into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. 

As Russia’s attempt to overwhelm Ukrainian forces continued, security sources said that, 96 hours in to the invasion, Putin had ‘stirred up a hornets’ nest’ by ‘underestimating the strength of the resistance’ and the ‘will of the people to fight’.

However, in a concerning statement that further signalled the ramping up tensions between the West and Putin, Russia’s foreign ministry promised that it would hit back against the EU after the bloc imposed sanctions.   

A spokesman also warned that ‘EU citizens and structures’ involved in sending weapons to Ukraine would be ‘responsible for any consequences’.    

Amid the ongoing fighting, it was announced that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Tuesday fly to Poland to visit British troops manning Nato’s eastern border with Russia. 

It comes after huge explosions rocked a suburb of Kyiv on Monday evening, just hours after the attack in Kharkiv. 

Dramatic video showed the moment that the night sky lit up with an enormous fire ball that reportedly stemmed from a military radar communication center in the Brovary suburb of the capital. 

The hail of bombs, shells and rockets which began falling at lunchtime left at least nine dead, including three children according to local officials, with homes and even a school reduced to rubble. Above: A woman sheltering in Kharkiv holds her newborn baby

The hail of bombs, shells and rockets which began falling at lunchtime left at least nine dead, including three children according to local officials, with homes and even a school reduced to rubble. Above: A woman sheltering in Kharkiv holds her newborn baby 

The new explosion took place hours after the Kremlin warned civilians to leave the city via a ‘safe route’ to the south-west, amid fears that the city was about to come under further heavy attack. 

Russia used similar tactics in Syrian cities while fighting alongside Basahar al-Assad before its forces heavily bombed them. 

Russian armour was working to surround Kyiv with tanks manoeuvering to cut it off from the west, after attacks by advanced forces failed to penetrate the outskirts. 

New satellite images also showed how a military convoy that stretched more than 17 miles (27km) was moving closer to the capital, a private U.S. company said. 

U.S. company Maxar Technologies Inc said the convoy on the eastern edge of Antonov airport contained hundreds of armoured vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and logistics support vehicles and continued to move south towards Kyiv. Other images showed also Russian ground forces close in Zdvyzhivka, northeast of Kyiv. 

Colonel General Alexander Syrsky said early Monday that Kyiv had survived another night while inflicting ‘heavy losses’ on Russian attackers. 

In the attack in Kharkiv, 44 people are believed to have been injured.   

Graphic images and video revealed streets littered with the bodies of dead and badly wounded civilians, with other images showing showing spent BM-21 Grad rocket cartridges laying in the streets and having fallen through apartment roofs. 

Cluster munitions were also to destroy a school in Okhtyrka, activist group Amnesty said, in which three people including a child were killed. The attack ‘appears to have been carried out by Russian forces, which were operating nearby, and which have a record of using cluster munitions in populated areas,’ Amnesty said. 

‘There is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school,’ secretary Agnes Callamard added.

The blasts mark some of the most serious attacks on civilians since the war began five days ago, and came after the first round of Ukraine-Russian peace talks – held in Belarus – ended without resolutions. 

A a second round of negotiations is set to be held in the coming days.   

Ukraine said ahead of the negotiations that it was seeking a ceasefire and total withdrawal of all Russian forces from its country, with President Zelensky saying he was not hopeful of results but had to try. Moscow would not be drawn on what its ambitions are.

Observers warned that the talks could pre-sage an increase in violence, as Putin increasingly deploys heavy weaponry that was absent from early fighting in an attempt to force a victory that he has been unable to achieve by subtler means.

The body of a Russian soldier lies outside a school destroyed as a result of fighting not far from the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

The body of a Russian soldier lies outside a school destroyed as a result of fighting not far from the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

The attack on Kharkiv is believed to have left nine people dead, including three children. Above: The aftermath of the strike

The attack on Kharkiv is believed to have left nine people dead, including three children. Above: The aftermath of the strike

Putin himself dashed many hopes for the talks on Monday when, in a call with Emmanuel Macron, he said that he is willing to negotiate with Ukraine – but on the basis that it is disarmed, ‘de-Nazified’, recognises Crimea as Russian soil and declares neutrality. Kyiv is highly unlikely to accept those terms.  

US intelligence believes around 75 per cent of Russian forces positioned on the borders with Ukraine are now inside the country.

Though Russian advanced forces have been fighting in Kyiv’s outskirts for several days, the bulk of Putin’s assault force is still located around 20 miles away having been slowed up by determined resistance fighters – with satellite images revealing a huge column of vehicles headed for the city. 

The cities of Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv were also bombed overnight, with air raid sirens sounding in other areas. 

In the south, Russians reported capturing the port city of Berdiansk with troops and armoured vehicles shown rolling through the centre, and were closing in on the city of Mariupol which was in danger of becoming surrounded – though remained under Ukrainian control as of the early hours.

Speaking on Monday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukraine to be ‘immediately’ admitted to the EU – after the alliance stepped up to supply hundreds of million of dollars of military aid to Ukraine, a first in the bloc’s history – saying his country had ‘earned’ the right. He also said Russia’s attack had so-far killed 15 children, and wounded dozens more.

U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet says her office has confirmed that 102 civilians, including 7 children, have been killed, and 304 others injured in violence in Ukraine since Thursday, as she cautioned that the tally was likely a vast undercount.  

It came amid reports that Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko is poised to throw his own troops into the fighting, which US intelligence said could come as soon as Monday. The move follows on from Chechen forces being thrown into battle, which led to the almost-immediate destruction of a column of armoured vehicles and the death of one of their top generals.

Belarus on Sunday also voted to amend the country’s constitution allowing it to host Russian nuclear weapons, which came after Vladimir Putin’s chilling order to his defence chiefs to put the country’s nuclear weapons on ‘alert’ in response to ‘threats’ from the West.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Russia’s decision to raise the nuclear alert was ‘a reckless, dangerous decision’. He added: ‘There’s no reason for that. NATO is no threat to Russia. We don’t seek confrontation with Russia.’

Russian invaded Ukraine – which used to be part of the Soviet Union until it collapsed in 1991 – on Thursday after building up troops since November.

Putin wants to stop it joining the anti-Russian alliance Nato. 

Ukraine war: The latest 

  • Russia promised on Monday that it would hit back against the EU following its support of Ukraine and warned the West against supplying weapons to the country
  • A second round of talks aimed at ending Russia’s attack on Ukraine is set to take place after the first meeting ended without resolution 
  • Ukraine’s MoD says Russia has lost 5,300 soldiers, 29 planes, 29 helicopters and 151 tanks
  • Russia’s MoD has for the first time acknowledged suffering losses, but refused to say how many
  • Ukraine reports 352 civilian deaths since the start of the invasion, including 14 children. The UN puts the civilian toll at 102, including seven children. 
  • Russian economy entered freefall as Western sanctions put in place over the weekend took effect, with ruble sliding to its lowest level ever
  • Moscow’s central bank has more-than doubled the interest rate to 20 per cent
  • Russia orders people and companies to sell 80 per cent of their revenue in foreign currencies, forcing them to buy the ruble to help prop it up
  • Moscow stock exchange won’t open until at least 3pm in an attempt to head off all-out crash
  • Zelensky has allowed Ukrainian prisoners to be freed if they join defence forces to ‘repay their debt’ 
  • Ukraine president also announced creation of ‘international brigade’ for foreign volunteers wishing to join military, after ‘thousands’ applied 
  • Spain’s foreign minister called Putin’s order to put nuclear forces on high alert ‘one more sign of [his] absolute irrationality’
  • Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his country should be open to hosting nuclear weapons
  • Germany announced a $112billion fund to rebuild the country’s armed forces, more-than double its current self-defence budget
  • EU announced, for the first time in its history, that it will send funds to Ukraine for weapons – including fighter jets 

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