British Hurricane Squadron Found Near Kyiv

Archaeologists from the State Aviation Museam of Ukraine have discovered rusted fragments of eight British Hurricane fighter aircrafts from the World War II era during excavations in the Kyiv region, reports BBC.

These Hurricanes were used to defend key transportation hubs, roads, and railway stations at the time.

After the German invasion in 1941, the Soviet Union suffered significant losses of combat aircraft and was in urgent need of fighters. The United Kingdom was the first to begin mass deliveries of Hurricanes to the Soviet Union.

Altogether, around 3,000 Hurricanes were sent to the USSR by the Allies to support Soviet forces between 1941 and 1944. Most of them were either destroyed in combat or later dismantled for spare parts.

Currently, it is believed that there are only 14 restored Hurricanes in the world that are capable of flying.

To prevent the Soviet Union from having to pay the United States for military aid, some Hurricanes were intentionally destroyed and concealed after the war.

According to the Lend-Lease Act, the USSR was obligated to pay for any military equipment that remained undamaged after the end of hostilities.

Perhaps, this fate befell the eight Hurricane fighters found buried in a forest south of Kyiv after nearly a century.

All usable equipment, instruments, radios, machine guns, and any valuable scrap metal were previously removed from them. Then, they were dragged by tractors from the nearby airfield, disassembled, and dumped in a shallow ravine, which was filled with soil.

The remnants of the aircraft were accidentally discovered by scientists after an unexploded bomb from the war era was found nearby. The rest of the ravine was examined using metal detectors, leading to the discovery of the British fighters.

The State Aviation Museum of Ukraine is currently conducting meticulous manual excavations at the site. Researchers aim to identify as many aircraft as possible in order to reassemble and exhibit them in the museum.

Valeriy Romanenko, the head of the museum's research department, states that the Hurricanes played a significant role in Ukraine's history.

"The Hurricane is a symbol of British aid during the years of World War II, just as we greatly value British assistance today," he says. "The United Kingdom is still one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country."

Now, 80 years after those events, the United Kingdom is the first country to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Storm Shadow missiles.

Furthermore, last week in London, a large-scale event dedicated to the recovery of Ukraine after the Russian war took place, called the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023.

Previously, the United Kingdom allocated £16 million for cyber defense in Ukraine.