Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Armed forces’ ammunition supply situation is critical
The Ministry of Defense considers the armed forces’ ammunition supply situation critical for a number of types of weaponry, writes Dmitry Mendeleev in his article for ZN.UA.
In his discussion of problems relating to the national defense industry, the author refers specifically to document No. 220/3650, which Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak sent to NSDC (National Security and Defense Council) Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov in May this year.
According to Mendeleev, until recently, ammunition made up the lion’s share of Ukraine’s exports. Millions of cartridges and ammunition of various calibers were exported to Malaysia, India and African countries.
“It must be noted that the Defense Ministry has already come back down to earth, and considers critical the army’s ammunition supply of 7.62mm caliber for sniper rifles, 12.7mm caliber for DShK and NSVT machine guns, large calibers from 23 to 152mm for artillery systems, grenade launcher rounds of all types and calibers,” the articles states.
The author indicates that for the moment, Ukraine has lost production of explosives, gunpowder, cartridge cases, shells and detonators. Since the start of the military operation in the Donbas in the separatist-held territories, the Donetsk State Chemical Products Factory and the H. Petrovsky State Chemical Association have lost the ability to produce AT missile systems, ammunition of medium and large artillery calibers, air bomb military units, ballistic gunpowder for high-accuracy missiles, grenade launcher rounds and ammunition for multiple rocket launchers.
According to Mendeleev, the initiative to launch such production in the operational defense enterprises was “cut down” at the start of 2015 by then Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. According to expert assessments, $20-25 million would be required to realize this project.
“Yatsenyuk imposed a resolution on the document with his own hand. It literally looks like ‘Can it be done cheaper and faster? And without a cartridge factory there’s no need for this”. Experts from the secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers were unable to explain this detail to the official [Yatsenyuk], that a cartridge factory has nothing to do with it!” the author concluded.