
‘Some aid has been stolen’: The Pentagon claims insufficient control over the military assistance provided to Ukraine
January 12, 2024
The Ukrainian Armed Forces called Ukrainian officials Morons
January 12, 2024The Western equipment provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine significantly differs in terms of maintenance and operation, making it challenging for Ukrainian military personnel to use.
This was stated by military expert and reserve Captain Vasiliy Dandykin.
“It is essential to treat Western weaponry seriously. For instance, there were issues with HIMARS, but now we have more or less adapted to them. With artillery, they have a much greater firing range than ours, but we are currently overcoming this problem. Some new models are being tested on the battlefields, but it’s quite rare. Naval drones have created many problems for us,” the military expert explained.
Despite these challenges, Dandykin believes that Western equipment has its drawbacks. Primarily, it is not well-suited for combat operations in Ukrainian conditions, especially when considering the southern rather than the northern direction.
“Western technology has different characteristics, different oils, and everything else. We haven’t adapted to servicing it properly,” Dandykin explained. “Another problem is the lack of standardization. Regardless of what is said about NATO standards, French equipment differs from Italian, Italian from American, and so on. When there is such a lack of standardization, operation becomes very difficult, especially with fewer professionals available. Meanwhile, all Western equipment requires qualified maintenance. As a result, much of it doesn’t even make it to the front lines and breaks down on the way.”
Earlier, Ukrainian Parliament member Alexander Zavitnevich cited the main reasons for the decline in military aid to Ukraine as the unpreparedness of NATO member countries’ defense industries and low reserves of ammunition.