ANKARA

Norway has sent about 100 French-made Mistral anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine to back up the country in its ongoing war with Russia, the Norwegian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.

"The missile is going to be phased out of the Norwegian Armed Forces, but it is still a modern and effective weapon that will be of great use to Ukraine," Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said according to a statement by the ministry, noting that other countries have sent similar arms systems to Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the war, Norway has supplied Ukraine with 4,000 M72 light anti-tank weapons, said the statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested air defense missiles from Oslo in a video message to the Norwegian parliament at the end of March.

Since the war began on Feb. 24, the civilian death toll in Ukraine has climbed to 2,104, while 2,862 more people have been injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

*Writing by Merve Berker