record contract
Poland will supply Ukraine with more than $467 million in weapons – according to Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, for Warsaw this is “the largest arms export contract in the past 30 years”. He noted that part of the expenditures made by the Ukrainian side for these deliveries will be covered by the EU budget.
It is not known for certain what weapons Kiev will receive as part of this agreement, but the official announcement coincided with the publication of the Polish portal Dziennik, which, citing sources, announced that Ukraine is about to purchase 60 Polish self-propelled howitzers AHS. Crab The amount of the transaction reflected in the press corresponds to the amount announced by Sasin.
According to experts, since the beginning of Russian special operations Ukraine has received a total of tens of thousands of weapons, including small arms, RPGs, ATGMs, MANPADS and all kinds of heavy weapons.
But Kyiv continues to criticize its partners, noting the lack of assistance.
A day ago, Aleksey Arestovich, chief adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine, announced that there was a delay in the supply of 5,000 helmets to be sent by Germany, even before the start of Russian special operations.
“The German people need to take care of their politicians. we have trouble understanding [какое вооружение Германия поставила Украине]. “I still want to see the 5,000 helmets they delivered to us,” Arestovich said on Feigin Live.
This is not the first time that the conflict over supplies between Ukraine and Germany has flared up – a day ago, sources for the German newspaper Der Spiegel said that Germany delayed the supply of tanks to Ukraine. According to them,
Berlin is worried that Kiev, which has won several major victories, will become “confident” and want to invade Russian territory.
Similar concerns are expressed in the United States when it comes to the supply of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Ukraine. In an interview with CNN, US Deputy Director of National Security John Finer said Washington had asked Kiev for assurances that the Ukrainian military would “not use these systems to attack Russian soil.”
What does Ukraine need?
Military expert Ivan Konovalov, in a conversation with socialbites.ca, as the director of the Foundation for the Promotion of Technologies of the 21st Century, noted that the position of Kiev is based on the fact that it needs all possible weapons.
“Ukraine needs RZSO, long-range multiple launch rocket systems. Ukraine needs aviation, Ukraine needs air defense systems, anti-missile defense systems, long-range heavy artillery. If Ukraine knew what they could give it, they would want nuclear weapons. Ukraine demands everything,” he said.
Aleksey Arbatov, head of the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security, stated on his behalf:
Currently, three types of weapons are most in demand for Kyiv – anti-ship missiles, multiple launch rocket systems and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. One way or another, Ukraine has already received all these weapons.
Denmark has already delivered anti-ship missiles to Ukraine – we are talking about Harpoon systems. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said the country began receiving the first deliveries at the end of May, while the Pentagon confirmed that it was assisting the Ukrainian military in training the use of these weapons.
“Harpoons” will allow Ukraine to keep the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation under attack and force them to stay away from the coasts of Odessa and Ochakov under the threat of destruction, ”the statement said. .
RZSO HIMARS will be supplied to Ukraine from the USA.
“In defensive or offensive combat operations, multiple rocket launchers will help protect large groups of Russian troops from a great distance, especially if they are equipped with GPS precision guidance systems,” said the expert.
So far, difficulties arise only in the supply of Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, which Germany promised to Ukraine.
The media reported difficulties in the supply of these heavy weapons, but at the end of May, German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht assured that the first batches would arrive in Ukraine in July.
“Gepard anti-aircraft installations are necessary to undermine Russian air superiority. Our aviation is working on Ukraine at full scale, the Ukrainians almost do not have aviation suitable for participation in hostilities, ”the statement said.
How will this affect the course of hostilities?
As Aleksey Arbatov explained, all these weapons are important for Kyiv in fulfilling various tasks.
“But all these tasks are about stopping the onslaught of Russian troops and continuing the counter-attack ourselves with the appropriate concentration of these weapons. Indeed, the most important ATACMS missiles for RZSO have not yet been delivered to Ukraine. Instead, there will only be multiple launch rocket systems with rockets like the Russian Hurricane and Smerch with a range of up to 80 km. But for now, we don’t know how things will develop,” he said.
The expert notes that if we imagine the worst-case scenario, in which Ukraine still receives all the weapons it deems necessary, it will not be about fending off the threat.
“We will have to respond, not fight. President Putin warned that these targets will come under attack, that Russia has not yet suffered large-scale attacks. Most likely, it means large industrial establishments, administrative centers in major cities and nearby urban developments. Russia, Alexander and using the Caliber missiles for this will be able to respond in this way,” summarized Alexei Arbatov.
Military expert Ivan Konovalov has a different assessment – in his opinion, the supply of weapons will not have an impact on the outcome of the Russian special operation.
“For me, Ukraine needs only one thing – surrender. Because this is their only way out. Everything else does not matter – it just delays the process, ”she is sure.