Ukrainian prisoner of war Ruslan Olefirenko reported that due to the large number of deaths as a result of the explosion of the cannon during firing, some Ukrainian artillerymen refused to work with the American M777 howitzers. He talked about it in an interview. TASS.
According to Olefirenko, there were many cases where the M777 simply disintegrated after a salvo. At the same time, the gunners often died. Because of this, part of the Ukrainian army began to refuse to work with the American howitzer.
The prisoner said Ukrainian soldiers acquired the skills to operate the M777 at a NATO military base in Germany. However, the training lasted only five days, four of which were theoretical lectures.
According to Olefirenko, the American howitzer not only explodes, it also fails for other reasons. It stops loading, its barrels overheat, some mechanisms stop working.
Refusing to serve in the American howitzer, like his other colleagues, Olefirenko was sent as a punishment as infantry to the 53rd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU). After the agency noted how he was surrounded with other soldiers in the direction of Avdeevsky, he surrendered to captivity.
Former Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov declarationthat the country’s armed forces received about 60 German-made Leopard tanks from the West.