Ukraine has been left without its Russian and Soviet-made weaponry and is now entirely dependent on its allies for weapons to counter the Russian invasion, US military sources said. As a country that was once part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has built its army and military industry with Soviet and Russian equipment, small arms, tanks, howitzers and others not comparable to those of its western neighbors. More than three months after the conflict broke out with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, that equipment has already been depleted or destroyed on the battlefield, US sources say. Now, the kyiv forces are handling or learning to handle weapons used by the United States or European NATO allies.
At the start of the war, the West was wary of supplying kyiv with too much weaponry, worrying that doing so would lead to conflict between Russia and NATO. They also feared that their advanced technology would fall into Russian hands. Instead, Ukraine’s allies offered their own inventory of Russian-made equipment, including tanks and helicopters to bolster kyiv’s troops.
The United States also led an effort to source additional ammunition, parts and supplies through other countries of the former Soviet Union that could match Ukrainian needs. However, all of that has already been consumed or destroyed. “They no longer exist in the world,” a US official said of Russian or Soviet-made weapons.
That means Ukrainian forces are forced to switch to Western-spec weapons with which they are unfamiliar. No longer the old fears of escalating the conflict or of Russia obtaining sensitive technology, the United States and NATO partners are sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine, such as howitzers and Himars rocket artillery, whose accuracy range is superior to the Russians.
Under the umbrella of the Contact Group for Ukraine, allied defense chiefs are coordinating assistance so that kyiv’s forces receive a steady flow of ammunition, spare parts and weapons, another US military official said. However, officials stress that if the arrival of the weapons is seemingly slow, it is mainly because the allies want to ensure that Ukraine’s military can assimilate them steadily and safely. That controlled pace also reduces the risk that weapons inventories will be destroyed by bombing inside Ukraine. For that reason, the United States is sending teams in stages. The latest $700 million package, announced June 1, includes four Himars artillery systems, 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles and four Soviet-made Mi-17 helicopters. In addition, it includes 15,000 howitzer shells, 15 light armored vehicles and other ammunition. “We try to keep a constant flow,” said a second US official.
kyiv has repeatedly called for long-range Himars precision missile systems, but Washington only agreed when it felt Ukraine was ready. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday that while four of the Himars systems were being prepared for Ukraine, training was also focused on training a platoon to operate it, a several-week process that could delay shipping.
Himars is a “highly sophisticated long-range system,” Milley told reporters. “We have to certify these men to make sure they know how to use the system properly.”
“If used properly, they will indeed have a very, very good effect on the battlefield,” he said. However, according to a US official, the US is not planning to send its Gray Eagle tactical drones to Ukraine for fear that can attack deep into Russia, a move that would risk pushing Washington into direct conflict with Moscow
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