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Ukraine's Eurovision stars Tvorchi have called on Australia for more help to fortify the country's "heart of steel", renewing calls for Australian-made Hawkei fighting vehicles.
- Eurovision pop stars Tvorchi have asked Australia for more military support
- The duo were enlisted in a campaign calling for Australia to provide Hawkei fighting vehicles
- The Ukrainian ambassador says Hawkeis would be a "game changer" on the front line
In a slick new social-media campaign from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the two artists used their profile to make a personal plea to Australia for the additional support.
"We want to say thank you for supporting Ukraine in the fight to defend our country," the artists say in the clip.
"Your Bushmasters have been helping our defenders on the front line, and we know that you have something else to help our cause — Hawkeis.
"We would love a little more help."
The pop duo made their plea after placing seventh with their song Heart of Steel in the Eurovision finals in Liverpool last weekend, as Russians attacked their Ukrainian home town.
Ukraine has been lobbying Australia to provide Hawkei tactical vehicles for months, hoping to build on the success its military has found using Australian Bushmaster vehicles.
The Hawkeis are smaller tactical vehicles, with removable armour and optional mounts for weapons.
Ukrainian officials have made clear their ambition is to mount surface-to-air missiles on the Hawkeis and capitalise on the mobility the vehicles provide.
"The most useful application of Hawkei is its ability to provide a highly mobile launch platform for [surface to air missiles]," Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said in a social media post linking to the Tvorchi video.
"This state of the art air defence system is already in use in Ukraine and proves to be a game changer in defending Ukrainian cities and civilians from aerial attacks."
Ukraine's campaign to "free the Hawkeis" has included public rallies around the country in recent weeks aimed to build public pressure.
It follows a similar successful campaign to "free the Leopards", which pushed European countries to provide their Leopard tanks to the war effort.
The Australian government has so far resisted calls to provide Hawkeis, and there is hesitation within army ranks about providing the vehicles.
There have been problems with the Hawkei's braking system, which have delayed the rollout of the vehicles within the ADF.
Ukrainian officials have previously indicated they are unconcerned by the braking problems.
Asked about the provision of more military aid in recent weeks, Defence Minister Richard Marles indicated more would be forthcoming.
But he was noncommittal when pressed specifically on Hawkeis.
"I'm not about to speculate on specific platforms, but … we are one of the largest non-NATO contributors," he said.
"We intend to continue to be that and we're working really closely with the Ukrainian government about how we can best make a contribution, knowing that this is going to be a protracted conflict and we need to be there with Ukraine for the duration.
"And so, we will continue to do that and we will work with them about how that contribution can be best provided."