Ukrainian military families prepare to leave Crimea. © Anastasia Vlasova
Now They Want Our Help? Ukraine Military SOLD Its Best Weapons For Cash -- Washington Times
Troops lack even bare essentials
The woeful state of Ukraine’s military can be blamed on corruption, Kiev’s shaky commitment to national defense and a policy of selling the best weapons to gain cold hard cash, analysts say.
The shortfall is surprising given that Ukraine’s large defense industrial complex produces tanks, anti-armor weapons, radars and spare parts.
“They’ve been doing it to themselves,” said Olga Oliker, a national security policy analyst at the Rand Corp. “It’s a corrupt, broken system. And they’re not putting money or resources into it. Things have been getting siphoned off.”
Kiev has raised defense spending from $1.45 billion in 2009 to $1.9 billion last year, according to Jane’s Defense Weekly. Some of the money apparently is being diverted: On the list of military needs are essentials such as blankets and food.
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My Comment: My cousin's son gave me a heads-up on the sorry state of the Ukraine military last month. He finished his service two years ago .... and as he had mentioned to me .... the food was inedible, too few blankets, holes in the clothes, lousy boots, and barracks that were not heated. In short .... they were more of a rabble than a military. What did not help the situation was that most of them were conscripts (conscription ended last year) .... and all of them had no desire to be there. This is not how you run a military.
On a side note .... my cousin's son also gave me a heads-up on how the Ukraine military will respond to any Russian military incursion. In short .... they will do nothing. Above the rank of Colonel most of the officers are Russian who were trained in Russia. They are not going to fire on their friends.
Update: An excellent blog to follow on the crisis in Ukraine is Dmitry Tymchuk's blog. His post on corruption in the Ukraine military is a must read .... Dmitry Tymchuk's military blog: Ukraine's military general staff should be investigated -- Kiyv Post