Huge arsenals of military equipment have fallen into disrepairThe overwhelming majority of even the developed countries of the world could only dream of the military power that Ukraine received after the collapse of the USSR.
Problems arose only with the fleet due to the persistence of the Black Sea sailors (" Hijack, capture, write off or sell. A short course in the history of the Ukrainian fleet ", "HBO", 03.03.23). On the ground and in the air, the Soviet legacy inherited by Kiev was truly luxurious.
SOVIET LEGACYThe Armed Forces of Ukraine were formed from three military districts of the Soviet Army – the Carpathian, Kiev and Odessa.
They belonged to the troops of the second strategic echelon, were equipped with a large amount of equipment, and for the most part very modern. The share of new models of equipment in the Ukrainian army in the early 1990s was much higher than in the Russian one. In addition, Ukraine got a significant part of the Soviet armored industry, including the Kharkov Design Bureau and the corresponding plant.
The Ukrainian army received from the Soviet Army two tank (including one training), 15 motorized rifle (two training) and two artillery divisions. Three more tank and motorized rifle divisions were rolled up into storage bases. In addition, Ukraine shared the 126th Coastal Defense Division (in Crimea) with Russia until 1997, and it had to share the 98th airborne Division with Moldova.
Also, Ukraine got several dozen brigades and regiments of various purposes of district and army subordination, training centers, repair enterprises. The total number of tanks exceeded 6 thousand, infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) and amphibious assault vehicles (BMD) – 3.7 thousand, armored personnel carriers were about 3 thousand, amphibious armored personnel carriers and MTLB – more than 2 thousand. There were up to 1.2 thousand self-propelled artillery units (ACS), up to 1.5 thousand towed guns, up to 500 120 mm mortars, about 600 multiple rocket launchers (MLRS).
It was extremely difficult for Kiev to dispose of all this splendor. The country's leadership had no strategy of state-building. And accordingly, there is no idea why the country needs an army at all, especially such a large one.
Therefore, the army began to shrink rapidly. Divisions turned into brigades or storage bases, or even simply disappeared without a trace. The equipment began to be sold off en masse.
saleHowever, Ukraine had at that time good opportunities for the manufacture of modern armored vehicles.
So, in the mid-1990s, Kiev signed a contract for the supply of 320 T-80UD tanks to Pakistan. At the same time, there were 52 such machines from the Soviet reserve at the Kharkov plant (12 more were in combat units), 50 of them were the first to go to Pakistan. Then Ukraine managed to produce the remaining 270 tanks by itself.
Since the late 1990s, a long epic began with the creation of its own Ukrainian tank based on the T-80UD. Such was the T-84U "Oplot", produced, however, in the amount of only 10 units. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine paid for only six of them, the remaining four were sold by the Kharkiv plant in the USA.
In 2008, an improved BM "Oplot" tank entered service with the Ukrainian army. The APU received only a few copies, although plans for the purchase of 120 or even 200 such machines were discussed. At the same time, 49 BM Oplot tanks were delivered to Thailand (the contract was completed in 2018, three years late compared to the original plan).
In addition, Ukraine received 248 earlier T-80 tanks from the Soviet Army (including 181 T-80B and 56 BV), which were soon sent for storage. Of these, only one T-80BV was officially sold (in the USA). Unofficially, perhaps 55 T-80B/BV was acquired by Turkmenistan, 32 by Yemen (along with 92 T–80BV from Belarus), but there is no exact confirmation of this. After the outbreak of the civil war in 2014, at least 88 T-80B/BV were lifted from storage, "reanimated" and returned to service.
Also, all 1,309 T-72 tanks received from the Soviet Army were immediately sent for storage. These cars became the main export product of Ukraine, and the latter (to Ethiopia and Nigeria) left already during the civil war. In total, 886 tanks of this type were sold, as well as 57 BRAM-1U engineering vehicles (to Iraq) on the chassis of the same T-72 (the tower was dismantled at the same time). In 2014-2018, at least 51 T-72 out of the remaining 367 were returned to the Ukrainian army.
The only tank in service with the Ukrainian Ground Forces before the outbreak of the Civil War was the T-64, previously produced in Kharkov. Ukraine received 766 obsolete T-64A/ R (apparently, most of these machines were disposed of, although there is still no exact information about their fate) and 1574 relatively modern T-64B/B1/BV.
In 1997, when the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) was divided, 110 T-64 tanks went to Russia. The first export contract was to be the delivery of the T-64BV1 modification to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Due to the outbreak of the civil war, some of these vehicles were requisitioned by the Ukrainian army, but in 2016, 25 tanks still went to the DRC. Since 2005, 95 T-64B/BV have been upgraded according to the T-64BM "Bulat" variant.
Ukraine initially had about 1,7 thousand. BMP-2 and 1.8 thousand. BMP-1 (as well as up to 500 BRM-1K), as well as six BMP-3. They were not produced in Ukraine, 292 BMP-1, 39 BMP-6 (an upgraded version of the BMP-1), 307 BMP-2 and two BMP-3 were exported. In addition, eight BRM-1K, 152 BMP-2 and one BMP-3 were transferred to Russia during the division of the Black Sea Fleet. At the same time, in 2008-2012, from 50 to 104 BMP-1s were received from the Czech Republic and Hungary (apparently for recycling and resale).
It is difficult to establish the exact number of armored personnel carriers inherited by Ukraine, since they were available not only in the Soviet Army, but also in the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies. Obviously, there were significantly more than 3 thousand plus several thousand MTLB. In addition, eight BTR-80 in 2009 were received from Hungary. Of these, 109 BTR-80, 195 BTR-70, 40 BTR-60, 34 BTR-50, 32 MTLB were exported, and four BTR-60PB, 70 BTR-70 and 95 BTR-80 were transferred to Russia in 1997 as part of the Black Sea Fleet section.
At the same time, Ukraine has engaged in the production of its own armored personnel carriers. In the mid-1990s, 51 BTR-94s were produced on the basis of the BTR-80 specifically for Jordan. After just four years of operation, Jordan handed over all these machines to Iraq.
In 2001, the production of the BTR-3 began (many sources claim that these machines were made from the hulls of the existing BTR-80 and BTR-70), initially only for export. A total of 323 BTR-3s were sold abroad, including 234 (in several modifications) to Thailand and 51 to Nigeria. Chad, Sudan, and Myanmar have 10-12 BTR-3s each. Kazakhstan purchased only two BTR-3s, Azerbaijan – three, after which both countries refused further purchases of this machine.
In 2008, the BTR-4 entered production, initially also only for export, a total of 104 cars were sold. In 2009, a contract was signed with Iraq for the supply of 420 BTR-4, but in reality only 88 vehicles were received there; in 2013, Baghdad did not accept the next 42 BTR-4 due to their poor quality, after which it terminated the contract. Indonesia acquired a total of five BTR-4s, after which it also refused further purchases. Nigeria bought 10 cars of this type. The USA bought one BTR-3 and one BTR-4 each.
As mentioned above, Ukraine received up to 4 thousand artillery systems from the Soviet Army (only with a caliber of more than 100 mm). In addition, in 2008-2012, from the Czech Republic and Hungary, 66 to 113 self-propelled guns 2S1 and up to 13 2S3, up to 44 D-30 howitzers, up to 36 MLRS BM-21 were received.
During the division of the Black Sea Fleet, Russia received 12 "amphibious" self-propelled guns 2S9, 18 2S1 and 36 D-30. 167 self-propelled guns (three 2S9, 119 2S1, 43 2S3, two 2S7), 138 towed guns (120 D-30, six M-46, six 2A36, six 2A65), 85 PM-38 mortars, 82 MLRS (70 BM-21, 12" were exported from the presence of the Ukrainian armyTornado"). Most of these supplies came from Azerbaijan, the DRC and Sudan.
In recent years, attempts have been made to create a wheeled (on the chassis of the car "KrAZ") ACS 2S22 "Bogdan" NATO caliber 155 mm. However, so far it exists in one instance.
The Ukrainian military air defense initially had 24 of the newest at that time anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) "Tor", from one and a half to three hundred older, but generally quite combat-ready sams "Osa" and "Strela-10", about 100 fairly modern anti-aircraft missile and cannon complexes (ZRPC) "Tunguska", up to 500 old ZSU-23–4 Shilka anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, several thousand different portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) and towed anti-aircraft guns.
During the division of the Black Sea Fleet, 18 Osa and 13 Strela-10 air defense systems, four Shilki were transferred to Russia. Ecuador received two Wasp SAMs from Ukraine, Georgia – six, and another Wasp went to the Republic of Korea for testing. Macedonia received four "Arrows-10".
Apparently, one Tunguska was sold in the USA. Presumably 123 "Shilki" were dismantled, and the barrels of their guns were installed on combat modules for the BTR-94 and other Jordanian armored personnel carriers. All the "Torahs" in the early 2000s were sent for storage due to the inability to service them.
CIVIL WARIn March 2014, a significant amount of Ukrainian equipment remained in Crimea under the control of Russian troops.
However, Russia immediately returned to Ukraine 41 T-64 tanks, six BRDM-2, nine BMP-1, from 39 to 43 BTR-70, nine BTR-60, 12 ZSU "Shilka". After the outbreak of the civil war in Donbass, the transfer of equipment was stopped. Apparently, 11 Ukrainian BMP-1, 74 BMP-2, 45 BTR-80, up to 20 BTR-70, 16 BTR-60, 30 MTLB, 18 MLRS BM-21, as well as eight "Shilok" and four "Tunguska" remained in Crimea. It is not very clear what happened to the barrel artillery (12 self-propelled guns 2S1, 18 guns D-30 and 2A36, 24 mortars 2S12).
With the beginning of the war, a massive lifting of equipment from storage and its transfer to the existing, as well as newly formed brigades began. 42 BTR-4, which Iraq refused, as well as 32 BTR-3, intended for Thailand, were urgently transferred to the troops.
During the fighting, nine tanks (seven T-64BV, two T-72B), two BRDM-2, one BMD-2, one BMP-1, two BMP-2, five BTR-80, one BTR-D, one BTR-60, one MTLB were captured from the Donbass militia, the MT-12 anti-tank gun (PTO), and also the BTR-70 previously captured by the militia was returned. However, of these trophies, five T-64BV tanks, two BTR-80 and one BTR-D were soon lost in battle.
In any case, all these acquisitions could not be compared with the huge losses of equipment destroyed and captured by the enemy. Apart from the above-mentioned lost trophies, the Ukrainian army lost at least one Tochka-U tactical missile launcher, 226 T-64 tanks (including 21 Bulat tanks), one T-72, 56 BRDM-2, 26 BRM-1K, three BMD-1 and 21 BMD-2, 62 BMP-1 and 385 BMP-2, seven BTR-4, two BTR-3, 137 BTR-80, 58 BTR-70, eight BTR-60, six BTR-D and 94 MTLB, 79 self-propelled guns (seven 2S9, 31 2S1, 33 2S3, two 2S5, five 2S19, one 2S7), 59 towed guns (19 D-30, three D-20, 37 2A65), 40 MLRS (24 BM-21, 15 "Hurricane", one "Tornado"), 10 self-propelled anti-tank missile systems (ATGM) "Competition" (9P148), three "Osa" and two "Strela-10" sams, two PU and three launchers (ROM) SAM "Buk", two "Tunguska".
Of this number, 51 T-64 (including three Bulat), one T-72, 19 BRDM, 13 BRM-1K, two BMD-1, three BMD-2, 29 BMP-1, 120 BMP-2, three BTR-4 (one to, two E), 37 BTR-80, 21 BTR-70, one BTR-60, two BTR-D, 36 MTLB, one 2S9, 11 2S1, nine 2S3, one 2S5, two 2S19, eight D-30, two D-20, 20 2A65, three BM-21, one "Hurricane", four 9P148, 21 MT-12, two "Arrows-10". Of these, four T-64, one BRDM, both BMD-1, one BMD-2, seven BMP-2, two BTR-70, both BTR-D, one 2C9, one 2C19, one 2A65, one MT-12 were then lost in battle, another BTR-70, as mentioned above, the APU was intercepted.
In any case, the acquisition of captured equipment by the militia became at the same time the final losses of the Ukrainian army, for the restoration of which the Kiev regime made efforts that deserve a separate description..
Alexander KhramchikhinAlexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.