According to the Russian news agency Moscow reported on January 25, military experts interviewed by the Ukrainian "Union" newspaper said that the Weaknesses of the Ukrainian army are too many.
The Alliance pointed out that although the number of Ukrainian troops has increased by more than 50% since 2014, and defense spending accounts for 6% of GDP, there are many hidden problems behind these figures.
Ukrainian military expert Colonel Alexander Sayenko said that some of the technical equipment of the Ukrainian army is still provided by volunteers, such as thermal imagers and four-axis drones. The expert also said: "Of the 37 orders for national defense products purchased by the state for the Ukrainian army, only 6 orders have been 100% supplied." ”
Taras Chimut, chairman of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Military Center and an expert on military analysis, said that the Ukrainian army had wasted half a year due to bureaucratic delays between various departments, and although the state procurement budget was basically fully utilized, the army did not receive the armaments that should have been included in the year.
According to the report, Chimut said: "The situation of the Ukrainian Air Force is the worst, the equipment is Soviet-made, it has long been outdated, the most recent production year of the fighter is 1991, it is difficult to repair and maintain, and the engine inside is Russian-made." ”
He stressed that the equipment cannot be upgraded, and if it is replaced with older models of Western fighters, Ukraine will need to spend $15 billion, which will take no less than 10 years.
Valentin Badrak, head of the Ukrainian Military, Production and Disarmament Research Center, pointed out that the military budget is too small. Ukraine spends only $1 billion a year on armaments renewal, which is three-quarters less than Poland.
Badrarch concluded that Ukraine has been slow to develop, test and manufacture its own weapons, and it took too long from the decision to procure to the inclusion of the military.
Gleb Karniewski, head of the Ukrainian expert organization StateWatch, said that the local military-industrial enterprises have serious financial problems, and in addition, "ammunition is the Achilles heel of the Ukrainian army." We can't produce it ourselves."
In recent years, the Ukrainian army has been plagued by problems. Old armaments are gradually failing, but Kiev is actively procuring decommissioned weapons from abroad while enlisting military assistance from Western countries. In September 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard transferred to Kiev two patrol boats built in 1988 and now decommissioned. The United States also gave Ukraine several inflatable boats.
Source: Reference News Network