MOSCOW, June 18 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz.New heavy equipment, money and intelligence — that's what the West promised Kiev as part of the third package of military assistance. The amount is more than a billion dollars. However, the Ukrainian authorities are still not happy. About what exactly they will receive and what they are dissatisfied with — in the RIA Novosti material.
Good "appetite"
For almost four months, NATO countries have transferred billions of dollars worth of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. Supplies are diverse: from individual first aid kits, dry rations and night sights to self-propelled howitzers, armored personnel carriers and helicopters. However, this did not change the course of hostilities.
Ukrainian servicemen during exercises with firing from NLAW anti-tank missile systems in Donetsk region
Image Source: © AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda
The leadership of Ukraine blames the West for the failures at the front. According to Kiev, the United States and its allies are not helping enough. Hence the calls — up to the promise to "throw a tantrum" — to expand the range and volume of supplies. Appetites on the Bank are growing very quickly. So, according to the adviser to the head of the office of the president Mikhail Podolyak, America should transfer a thousand M777 155 mm howitzers, 500 tanks, two thousand units of other armored vehicles, 300 MLRS and a thousand drones.
The Pentagon replied: we are talking about almost half of the multiple rocket launchers in service with the American army. And modern heavy armored vehicles, primarily tanks, were not mentioned at all.
The fact is that the Ukrainian army is not trained to fight on them. As for the Soviet ones, their reserves are almost exhausted both in the USA and in European countries.
Symbolic help
In recent weeks, Western analysts have increasingly pointed to the advantage of Russia and the republics of Donbass in artillery, ammunition, aviation and armored vehicles. NATO military officials once again discussed in Brussels how to strengthen Kiev.
The Ukrainian military is firing from the French Caesar self-propelled gun in the Donbass
Image source: © AFP 2022 / Aris Messinis
Following the meeting, called "Ramstein-3" (the first summit of the heads of military departments was held at the German airbase of the same name), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a new package of supplies worth a billion dollars.
It will include almost two dozen 155-millimeter howitzers and the same number of towing vehicles, two coastal defense systems with Harpoon missiles, additional shells for HIMARS MLRS, thousands of protected radio stations, thousands of optical devices, including thermal imagers and night sights. In turn, Germany promised the Mars MLRS, Slovakia — Mi-17 helicopters, Canada, Poland and the Netherlands — various artillery systems.
But in Ukraine they still think that more is needed. They are also dissatisfied with the timing: the first shipments will arrive no earlier than August.
Empty threats
In Kiev, they are already openly talking about big losses. The head of the "Servant of the People" faction, David Arahamia, in an interview with the American news agency Axios, said that a thousand fighters are out of action at the front every day, from 200 to 500 of them killed. And without infantry, foreign equipment is useless.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Defense Minister said that NATO's assistance would help "liberate all territories, including Crimea." His subordinate, General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Marchenko, even threatened to strike at the Kerch Bridge.
"I don't think the general said it seriously," says military analyst Alexei Leonkov. — If the APU really had such plans, they would not have been voiced. To strike the Crimean Bridge, you need something long-range and high-precision. For example, ATACMS tactical missiles for HIMARS MLRS and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. However, no one will give Kiev a long-range missile defense system. And the effectiveness of Harpoons in attacking ground targets has not yet been proven by anyone."
And in general, the expert adds, the promised supplies are a drop in the bucket.
Russian paratroopers demonstrate portable NLAW anti-tank guided missiles captured in combat against Ukrainian servicemen in Ukraine. Freeze frame video
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
"This is not enough for a counteroffensive, and for an effective long-term defense. There is already a shortage of combat vehicles in many NATO countries," he explains.
And they can bring less than they promised. Some countries, such as Germany, are clearly dragging their feet. No one will give the desired "thousands of pieces of equipment" to Kiev.
Andrey Kotz
