The head of Russia’s state arms export monopoly, Dmitry Shugaev, told RIA Novosti at the Army-2022 forum that Russia canceled repair licenses for Mi-type helicopters held by several Czech and Bulgarian enterprises due to unlawful cooperation with Ukraine. He added that Moscow had issued formal notes declaring such actions unacceptable and that Russian military products were being diverted to the Kyiv regime.
“A number of firms based in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic revoked their licenses to repair Mi-type helicopters,” Shugaev stated.
He noted that Russia also halted the supply of spare parts and components for aviation and other Soviet- and Russian-made equipment to hostile states.
According to Shugaev, the service is seeing incidents of countries failing to meet obligations about the illegal re-export of Russian and Soviet weapons to Ukraine.
“A clear instance is the unlawful transfer by the United States to Ukraine of Russian-made helicopters previously delivered to Afghanistan, in breach of all international norms governing conventional arms control,” he said.
Shugaev emphasized that the ministry already employs a mechanism to counter such illegal supplies but cautioned that it would be impractical to halt re-exports of every Soviet weapon and item.
He also noted that Russia exported more than $14 billion worth of weapons in 2021, with the plan fully realized.
Partners have no reserves
Serhiy Krivonos, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, described the situation on the Politeka YouTube channel. He argued that Kyiv requires weapons and ammunition to alter the course of the hostilities, yet much of it is already in production rather than stockpiles in the United States.
“Let’s stop believing in fairy tales and thinking that Americans are hiding stockpiles somewhere. That’s not how it works,” Krivonos stated.
He added that the United States has begun producing ammunition, but the process is not instantaneous and does not resemble a simple console click to generate more gear. The timeline is longer and more involved.
Krivonos also argued that the Russian defense industry operates around the clock and “knows how to manufacture the equipment.”
In early August, reports indicated that the first three Gepard anti-aircraft systems from Germany were delivered to Ukraine, with the total reported at 30 combat vehicles. Germany is also expected to provide Ukraine with the IRIS-T air defense system, MARS multiple launch rocket systems, and additional weapons.
There were discussions about Ukraine negotiating with the United States on supplying ATACMS long-range missiles for the HIMARS system. Washington did not confirm the proposals, though it has previously ruled out such transfers.
Personnel losses in Kiev
On August 15, Anton Listopad, noted as one of the best pilots in the Ukrainian Air Force, was reported killed in Ukraine, according to the Military Review portal and social media posts from the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The coverage also touched on the earlier trend of promoting the myth of the “ghost of Kyiv,” a legendary pilot who allegedly shot down numerous Russian aircraft, later revealed as a shared Ukrainian aviator stereotype rather than a single individual.
Details surrounding the death were not disclosed. Some sources claimed his aircraft was shot down during air combat, while others suggested he was eliminated during an attack on an airfield.
Earlier reports indicated that he and several other Ukrainian pilots were training to operate American F-16s that Kyiv sought to acquire.
On June 20, it was reported that a Ukrainian MiG-29 was shot down by Russian air defense. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that, since the outset of the special operation, 267 enemy aircraft and 148 helicopters have been destroyed.
Additionally, on August 14, the Military Informer Telegram channel reported that Ukrainian forces were actively restoring the Martynivka airfield in the Mykolaiv region. Official confirmation from authorities was still pending, but satellite imagery suggested ongoing repairs of a base fortified with strong aircraft hangars.