Ukraine ups use of domestic-made military equipment

KYIV, Ukraine • Ukraine has significantly increased its use of domestic-made weapons and military equipment, a senior defence official said on Thursday, as Kyiv aims to become more self-sufficient amid faltering Western military aid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for Ukraine to strengthen its domestic defence industry as it struggles to fend off Russia’s two-year-old invasion and faces potential cuts in military aid from the United States, its biggest backer.

Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said 46 types of domestically produced equipment had been sent to the armed forces during the first two months of 2024, an amount he said was “significantly more” than in the same period last year.

“We are doing every we can so that Ukraine over time becomes as self-sufficient as possible in providing the defence forces with the necessary weapons,” he said in a statement.

Havryliuk also called for Kyiv’s foreign partners to boost investment and participation in joint production with Ukrainian companies.

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Pentagon leak defendant Teixeira set to plead guilty

BOSTON • Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, is expected to plead guilty to charges related to his alleged leaking of classified military information on a social media platform in what was one of the most serious U.S. national security breaches in years, according to a court filing.

Federal prosecutors asked a judge in Boston to schedule a Monday hearing for Teixeira, 22, to change his plea following his arrest in June on charges he leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord.

The material included highly sensitive U.S. military assessments, including on the war in Ukraine.

Further information, including what charges Teixeira would plead guilty to, was not immediately available. Teixeira had been facing six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relating to national defense.

Lawyers for Teixeira, of North Dighton, Mass., did not respond to Reuters for requests for comment.

The leak was considered the worst United States national security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.

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