US donates 2,500 night-vision devices to Ukraine’s Armed Forces (VIDEO)

The United States government has donated 2,500 AN/PVS-14 night-vision monoculars worth $5.8 million as free military aid to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, the Ukrainian General Staff reported on Feb. 14.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch handed over a certificate of transfer for the equipment to the Chief of the Ukrainian General Staff Viktor Muzhenko during an official ceremony at the U.S. Embassy building in Kyiv.

The newly provided night vision scopes could equip at least 10 army battalions for nighttime warfare, according to General Muzhenko.

“The United States is a strategic partner for Ukraine. Out of the total amount of assistance that has been provided to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, U.S. aid accounts for about 90 percent,” he said during the ceremony, adding that apart from providing various types of equipment such as counter-battery radars, drones, armored cars, and medevac vehicles, the U.S. government was helping to modernize the Ukrainian army by training its servicemen.

Ambassador Yovanovitch said the United States had provided  $850 million worth of military aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of Russia’s war in the Donbas in 2014, adhering to its commitment to help Ukraine preserve its independence and territorial integrity.

The military aid would also bring the country closer to forming NATO-compatible armed forces, the ambassador added.

AN/PVS-14 night-vision monoculars have been used by the U.S. Armed Forces and a number of their NATO allies since 2000. Primarily manufactured by the Litton Industries and the ITT Corporation, the monoculars are head-portable, and can be attached to a wide range of standard combat helmet types. They also can be mounted on assault rifles as night vision sights – on rail mounts, behind a standard collimated dot sight.