As an aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the United States transferred 2,500 night vision helmet mounted monoculars to Ukraine. The ceremony was held in the US embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. The US side was represented by Marie Yovanovitch, the United States ambassador to Ukraine and the representative of Ukraine in this event was Viktor Muzhenko, Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The mentioned number of the night vision devices is enough to arm ten battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The sum of transfer is $5.8M.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and Viktor Muzhenko, Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

In his speech of gratitude to the USA, Muzhenko said:

The United States is our strategic partner. The US assistance includes counter-battery assets, UAVs, armoured and medical vehicles, as well as advisory support in development and reforms of the Ukrainian army, training and drills

The part of US ambassador’s speech quoted on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is as follows:

Today another 2500 Night Vision Devices were transferred to our partners in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These devices will help Ukrainian soldiers remain vigilant and provide security to the Ukrainian people. This assistance helps Ukraine move toward our shared goal: building a robust, capable, and NATO-interoperable Armed Forces of Ukraine

These monoculars are Harris AN/PVS-14 which are widely used by the US military as well as many NATO and US ally countries. In the images published by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the monoculars are used with Norotos helmet mounts.

Granted the nature of the Ukrainian conflict and equipment used in it, night vision devices like those received from the US in the mentioned quantities can have significant impact increasing the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Sources:

“США передали Украине 2,5 тыс. приборов ночного видения “. (2018, February 14). TASS Russian News Agency. Retrieved from: http://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/4957476

“10 more Ukrainian battalions will be equipped with US night vision devices”. (2018, February 14). Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Retrieved from: http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2018/02/14/10-more-ukrainian-battalions-will-be-equipped-with-us-night-vision-devices%E2%80%9D-viktor-muzhenko/