UK pledges $805 million for air-defence systems to help Ukraine through winter

LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Britain pledged 600 million pounds ($805 million) in air-defence capabilities to support Ukraine on Tuesday, including advanced turret systems designed to shoot down Russian drones, as Kyiv braces for winter attacks on its energy network.

Defence minister John Healey said the air defence investment "is critical help to Ukrainians as they defend their towns, cities and energy infrastructure from Russia's barbaric attacks."

Healey and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, co-chaired a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Tuesday, where the British minister announced the investment.

($1 = 0.7452 pounds)