• Ukrainian soldiers shout 'God Save the Queen!' when using UK-made weapons, per The Sunday Times.
  • The UK sent Ukraine 3,615 NLAW anti-tank missiles, which proved effective destroying Russian tanks. 
  • Per the Sunday Times, Volodymyr Zelensky praised the weapons in calls with Boris Johnson.

"God save the Queen!" is shouted by Ukrainian soldiers when they fire weaponry given to the country by the UK, according to The Sunday Times of London, which cited an anecdote told by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It's one of several lighthearted details reported by the paper describing calls between Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which they bonded over the UK sending weapons to defend against Russia. 

As of March 9 the UK had sent 3,615 anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs — next-generation light anti-tank weapons — to assist Ukraine, according to Sky News.

Journalists from MailOnline — a British publication — were also greeted with "God Save the Queen!" during a reporting trip to a base where Ukrainian soldiers were being trained to use NLAWs, according to one of MailOnline's own reports.

A Ukrainian fighter fires an NLAW weapon supplied by the UK. Foto: via REUTERS.

Per The Sunday Times, in a recent call, Zelenskyy serenaded the UK prime minister with two songs adapted to play on the similar sound of NLAW to "in love" when pronounced in Ukrainian, which sometimes voices a W sound as a V.

They were "All You Need is N-Love," based on The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," and another played on "When You're Young and In Love" by The Marvelettes, the paper said.

NLAWs are shoulder-mounted weapons capable of firing a single 150mm high-explosive anti-tank missile up to 2,600 feet. They are built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by the French company Thales, and have been highly praised in Ukraine's defense.

They've enabled many of the tank ambushes that have slowed Russia's invasion.

A video published by Sky News on February 26 showed the aftermath of a Ukrainian attack, where a soldier carried an NLAW not far from the smoldering ruins of tanks on a highway.

James Cleverly, a minister in the UK foreign office and a former soldier, was among many in the UK to celebrate the contributions of the weapons, alongside other UK military donations.

"British desert uniform, British DPM waterproofs, British NLWs, Ukrainian spirit. A great combination. " he wrote in a February 26 tweet.

 

 

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