Ukrainian National Guard's Azov Brigade has received FN Minimi Mk3 light machine guns from the Come Back Alive Foundation's funding.
The charity organisation to support the Ukrainian forces has announced that 40 Minimi Mk3 were delivered to the soldiers. The delivered Minimi Mk3 is chambered in 5.56x45 mm NATO ammunition. Minimi Mk3 is the latest variant of the Belgian FN's long-standing Minimi machine gun family, which also forms the basis of M249 and Mk48 machine guns used by U.S. troops.
Despite being a new version, Mk3 is also available as an upgrade kit for those wishing to convert their older Minimi models. Key features of Minimi Mk3 include an abundance of Picatinny rails, easier reloading, particularly with a single hand, and a new buttstock with cheek rest for better ergonomics when firing from the prone position.
Ukrainian troops are regularly receiving NATO-standard firearms, including assault rifles, machine guns, and designated marksman rifles from other countries or charity organisations like Come Back Alive. Some of the other firearms provided to Ukraine include SIG MCX and CZ BREN assault rifles, M110 designated marksman rifles, and M107 sniper/anti-materiel rifles.
Several funds have been raised in the past in favour of Ukraine. For example, people from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, and Norway have launched fundraising campaigns to donate TB2 Armed UAVs to Ukraine. TB2 producer Baykar, in return, gifted the TB2s to the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the condition that the funds be used for humanitarian purposes.
