Bloomberg: Without Western Aid, Ukrainian Army Cannot Stop Russian Invasion

The American publication argues that the Ukrainian army is underfunded and underequipped for a full-scale fight with the Russian Federation, although it has grown stronger since 2014.

The American business publication Bloomberg has said that Ukraine's army is underfunded and underequipped and is not ready to stop Russia in the event of a full-scale invasion, although it has become stronger than it was in 2014.

“Ukraine's armed forces are much stronger and better prepared than in 2014, when they were unable to resist Russia's annexation of Crimea. But the lack of weapons from the West and the shortage of funds at home have left the troops without significant stocks of the basic items they will need in conditions of intense conflict,” the publication reports.

Bloomberg points to irrational allocation of resources, in particular taxes, in the context of defense needs.

The publication cites opposition People's Deputy Serhiy Rakhmanin of the Holos faction as saying that the budget provided for the purchase of only half of the necessary body armor, the list lacked rifles and helmets, but there was a request for expensive waffle towels and Soviet radiation detection equipment.

“I had a question: okay, suppose war starts tomorrow, do you really need these things?” said Rakhmanin. The towels and detectors were struck from the list.

The Ministry of Defense did not comment on Rakhmanin's statements. The Ministry of Defense promised to modernize its procedures, blaming bureaucracy for procurement delays and pledging to reduce the number of classified contracts in order to lower the level of corruption.

The publication notes that Ukraine's defense procurement budget was 23 billion hryvnias ($838 million) for 2021 and 28 billion hryvnias for 2022. 

Defense analyst Mykola Beleskov of the National Institute for Strategic Studies noted that while in 2014 Ukraine could commit only a small part of its nominal force of 120,000 servicemen and a very meager stock of equipment to combat, it is now able to deploy most of its 205,000 servicemen together with working equipment, although often outdated.

The American publication believes that in the event of war, only a massive influx of modern weapons from Western partners can provide Ukraine with protection. 

So far, Kyiv's requests for such costly items as air defense and missile defense systems have gone unanswered.

The publication writes that the United States has put together a new aid package including Javelin anti-tank missiles, small arms, medical kits and body armor, as well as protective equipment and support for Ukraine's cyber capabilities. According to sources, President Joe Biden has signed off on such a plan. 

In addition, Estonia plans to provide howitzers and Javelin missiles, primarily for anti-tank defense, the ERR news service reported last week. This will require permission from the United States, Germany and Finland, where the equipment was produced. 

According to one person familiar with the White House's position, the Biden administration in principle supports this idea.

Germany and the Netherlands believe that as long as there is a threat of conflict with Russia, NATO should not provide lethal weapons to Ukraine, said Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna.