The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) may remain unarmed for several years if the state defense order is not fulfilled within the next few months. This was stated during a press conference by the chairman of the NGO “Security and Cooperation in Ukraine” Semyon Kabakaev , reports Interfax-Ukraine .
“SDO is formed for a year, then another year is carried out, and two years, in our case with that leadership Ministry of Defense by Mr. Taran and Mr. Khomchak we can hold it up to two years – in fact, from two to three years the army, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense may be left without weapons, “he said, explaining that we are talking about the purchase of the Neptune, Alder and Alder-M complexes “. Kabakaev added that instead of developing the country’s defense-industrial complex and purchasing Ukrainian Bogdan units, the authorities acquired DANA units abroad.
The chairman of the organization noted that if this year Kiev, represented by the Ministry of Defense, General Staff a > and the Armed Forces will not make purchases on the state guarantees laid down for armament, more than 10 billion state guarantees will be lost. “That is, we will not be able to purchase either weapons, missiles, mines, or cartridges – nothing. That is, the money will“ burn out, ”and from next year we will have to put the same things in the new state defense order. And at the same time, warriors at the front they will not receive what they asked for, the army will be left without what they ordered, “added Kabakaev.
The expert indicated that responsibility for disrupting the state defense order lies with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President Vladimir Zelensky , Defense Minister Andrei Tarana and Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak. Kabakaev noted that when Taran was appointed to the post, it was said that Khomchak would be responsible for him. However, now “the ball is thrown from one person to another.” “The President is trying to figure it out, but as a result the army does not receive weapons, ammunition and remains without weapons to resist the enemy,” he concluded.
Earlier it was reported that in 2020 the United States sold arms to Ukraine at a record the amount for the latter. A report from the United States Defense Cooperation and Security Agency indicated that Kiev acquired weapons worth $ 510.5 million.