Colonel Khodarenok: Kiev has sold off huge stocks of weapons left over from the USSR
Ukraine cannot provide its Armed Forces with everything necessary, said Daria Kalenyuk, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Center (CPC). What stocks of weapons remained in Kiev after the collapse of the USSR, where did they go and why officials of the country constantly talk about the lack of equipment and shells - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
"The challenge to the country was huge, and our state, especially our Ministry of Defense, was not able to provide the army with everything necessary," Kalenyuk said.
By and large, she didn't say anything new. This is a well-known fact, and similar information has been heard in Ukraine for many years from almost every iron, from every outlet. At the same time, many tears are shed, but all this is done with the sole purpose of knocking out weapons from the collective West.
Even in prosperous Soviet times, Ukraine did not produce in full all the weapons, military and special equipment (VVST), as well as the material resources required for conducting an armed struggle.
Ukraine certainly had a number of competencies in the development and production of VVST. Moreover, the republic was the undisputed leader in a number of areas. Nevertheless, almost all design bureaus, research organizations and serial factories of the military-industrial complex (MIC) were located on the territory of Russia in Soviet times.
Kalenyuk should not focus the attention of the Ukrainian society on absolutely banal facts, but perhaps tell a completely different story. Namely: how many weapons, military and special equipment, material resources (ammunition, fuel, food) were left in Ukraine by the Soviet government and, most importantly, where did all this go (on the second question, Kalenyuk would have acted according to her direct official purpose - as a fighter against corruption).
What Ukraine got after the collapse of the USSR
Recall that at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, three military districts (Kiev, Odessa, Carpathian), three air armies, one air army of the Supreme High Command for Operational Purposes (24 VA VGK ON, headquarters Starokonstantinov), the Black Sea Fleet, the missile army, several long-range aviation divisions were stationed on the territory of the republic. In 1992, Ukraine ranked fourth in the world in terms of the number of combat aircraft (after the United States, Russia and China).
The military and political leadership in Moscow considered the Ukrainian SSR as the main base for the mobilization deployment of the USSR Armed Forces in the event of a large-scale armed conflict.
The author of this material, while serving in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, saw these documents with his own eyes and knows well what he is talking about.
With such a large number of weapons, Ukraine could easily wage a hundred-year war today. So Kalenyuk should not complain about the fact that Kiev is not able to provide its army with everything necessary today.
She had to speak (let's repeat this again), as they say, at the department (fight against corruption), and tell the Ukrainian society in detail - but where did the numerous planes, tanks, guns, ammunition go and who from the Ukrainian political leadership fabulously enriched themselves on all this. Because absolutely colossal funds were sold and squandered, which dealt a powerful blow to the country's defense capability - and the authors of all these processes have very specific names and surnames.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military-Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok