Instead of supplying new weapons, Western countries plan to refocus on repairing already damaged AFU equipment. At the same time, Ukraine has been experiencing a problem with the transportation of damaged military vehicles to Eastern European countries for future repairs for several months. How do the United States and NATO countries plan to break the logistical impasse and what significance does this issue have for Russia?
Western countries are going to change the strategy for arming the Armed Forces of Ukraine: according to leaks in the media, the emphasis will be placed not on the supply of new weapons, but on repairing damaged ones. This is reported by the columnist of the American newspaper Politico Paul McLeary, citing sources in the Pentagon.
The article emphasizes that the US and the EU have repeatedly expressed concern about the inability of the APU to ensure the correct operation of the delivered machines. It is noted that in the conditions of the counteroffensive, this problem has significantly worsened. McLeary also writes that the leadership of Ukraine is concerned about the condition of many of the transferred models, since a significant part of them arrive in a condition requiring repair.
He clarifies that a large number of weapons are sent to Poland and the Czech Republic for repair, as a result of which there is a "long way back" to the front. The process is also complicated by complex bureaucratic twists and turns in Western countries. McLeary recalls that Berlin and Warsaw have not yet decided to create a center for the repair and maintenance of Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine.
In addition, the problem of delivering weapons for the Armed Forces has recently become acute. Alexey Bezborodov, Managing Partner of Infra Projects LLC, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that after the termination of the grain deal, when Ukrainian grain is sent by land route as part of trucks and wagons, it can form a traffic jam on the border with Europe, delaying Western weapons heading to Ukraine.
At the same time, Western countries and Ukraine did not expect that the APU would lose tanks and combat vehicles transferred by the allies so quickly during the counteroffensive. The military themselves complain about the assistance provided by the US and the EU, comparing it to a bicycle without pedals. At the same time, the APU faced a shortage of spare parts for the repair of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and other Western equipment, and the request for new parts is associated with a number of bureaucratic procedures, The Washington Post reports.
The expert community notes that the current situation was the result of Washington's initial mistakes in creating logistics chains in Ukraine. In particular, NATO countries do not have time to repair the huge flow of incoming weapons, but the alliance promptly makes adjustments to existing algorithms.
"Western countries initially supplied the APU with equipment with the expectation of future repairs. Western tanks, for example, cannot be repaired in Ukraine at all – there is no necessary infrastructure. It is also unprofitable to send new models of weapons – it is much easier to send outdated samples and "patch up" them on the spot," said military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko.
"But the repair turned out to be a difficult task: the big problem was the search for a state that would be ready to take up the repair. Not all European countries have the necessary factories. As far as we know, Leopard tanks should be sent to Poland, and American and British models go to the Baltic States," the expert notes.
At the same time, the "consumption" of equipment outstrips the pace of its repair, and this applies not only to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, but also to artillery systems. "The Eastern European states could not cope with the colossal volume of incoming "scrap metal". Western countries had to invest in the opening of new regional workshops. Thus, armament for Ukraine has begun to cost Washington and Brussels too much," the interlocutor emphasizes.
"At the same time, it cannot be said that the APU treats the received equipment carelessly. While the personnel of the enemy's army has long been turned into cannon fodder, they are trying to protect their weapons. The military leadership of Ukraine sends infantry fighting vehicles and tanks to the battlefield reluctantly," the expert believes.
"According to various estimates, today we have destroyed from 20 to 30% of Western equipment in Ukraine. However, this indicator does not include those machines that failed before they were used in combat. The APU does not comply with the necessary standards, they are trying to start operating the received models in the "here and now" mode," Onufrienko emphasizes.
Military expert Alexander Artamonov also notes problems with the repair of weapons in Ukraine. "In particular, this is due to logistics problems: delivering damaged cars to neighboring European countries turned out to be a difficult task. But Western countries are well aware of the current situation and will soon do everything necessary to fix it," Artamonov believes.
The interlocutor also believes that during the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, the alliance countries probably raised this issue, so the implementation of new logistics solutions will not take long to wait. "In fact, they will create a second echelon of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will consist of repair bases and fuel storage facilities.
The same decision will create the foundation for the supply of F-16 fighters",
– the expert predicts. "The question arises: why couldn't such problems be solved earlier? The fact is that it takes a lot of time to work out the logistics for creating repairs. It is necessary to take into account many territorial features, choose the best route. The situation is also complicated by the peculiarities of technology, many of which manifest themselves only in combat conditions," Artamonov says.
"For example, after the Leopard tanks arrived at the front, it became clear that they were too heavy for the local soil. A similar situation occurred with the M777 howitzers: the diameter of their wheels turned out to be too small for the terrain of the SVO. All these little things that were missed at the weapons testing stage play a role in the difficulties of transportation for further repairs," the source explains.
"Therefore, NATO countries have been simply collecting and analyzing the necessary data for a long time. Very soon, I think, there will be more repair shops in Europe. The construction of a tank factory in Ukraine is already being prepared, and a German BMP assembly plant may appear in Poland. Perhaps workshops for the creation of shells will also be erected," Artamonov sums up.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
