In the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kiev is trying to produce weapons on its own in combination with Western support to meet needs on the ground.
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| Workers paint mortars at Ukraine Armor, the Eastern European country's largest private arms manufacturer. (Source: Washington Post) |
Before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2, Kiev almost did not produce weapons, but now, the country's weapons industry is growing rapidly.
Factories and facilities are operating at full speed to produce artillery shells, mortars, military vehicles, missiles and other important equipment for the conflict.
“The key” is maintaining defense capabilities
At a meeting of the Ukrainian government in January, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the number of domestically produced weapons had tripled in 1 and is expected to increase sixfold this year.
Although Ukraine's domestic weapons stock is not enough to make up for the shortfall from international arms aid, especially from the US, in the context of Washington's $60 billion aid package being delayed. , Kiev's domestic arms production industry became more important than ever.
At a conference in February, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said domestic weapons were effective in the conflict. Specifically, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have attacked oil facilities deep inside Russia in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, "sea drones" (unmanned underwater attack ships) have caused serious damage to Russia's Black Sea Fleet and helped reopen waterways for grain exports. Ukraine.
In addition, Kiev is also producing its own mortar shells and 122mm and 152mm artillery shells according to Soviet standards. Ukrainian defense companies are trying to meet the military's biggest needs by manufacturing 155mm artillery shells according to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards, the ammunition needed for artillery systems. troops provided by Western countries.
Answer AP In December 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that domestic production is the "key" for Ukraine to maintain its defense capabilities. Mr. Zelensky emphasized that "this is the way out", and said that, if these wishes are fulfilled, Russia's plans "will end".
Although Ukraine has production capacity and some raw materials, especially steel, what the country's military now needs are finished weapons immediately. Mr. Maksym Polyvianyi, Deputy General Director of Ukraine Armor - Ukraine's largest private arms manufacturer, commented that, without the help of Western partners, the Kiev arms industry would not be able to meet the demand. enough for the army's needs.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the arms industry in Ukraine also really collapsed. Years of mismanagement and corruption, coupled with the fact that much of the industry is focused on Russian customers, means Kiev has to look abroad for everything from ammunition to fighter jets. .
Now, after more than two years of ongoing conflict, Ukraine needs everything from ammunition to long-range missile systems, fighter jets and bombers. Among them, some weapons cannot be self-produced any time soon.
Last month, Ukraine's Strategic Industry Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin announced that the country had deployed a domestically produced missile with a range of more than 400 miles (more than 643 km). High-precision air and missile defense systems similar to the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) are also being developed, officials said.
However, the high-tech systems that Kiev needs to use effectively in the conflict take a long time to produce domestically. Mr. Polyvianyi noted: "To build and own such a production facility will take decades."
Many restrictions hinder the arms manufacturing industry
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian army has lost its advantage in the East due to a severe lack of artillery and soldiers. The situation may even get worse in the near future as the amount of weapons reserves gradually decreases. According to US intelligence, Kiev may run out of anti-aircraft missiles by the end of this month.
In the context of the White House's efforts to get $60 billion in aid approved by the US Congress, Ukraine has new rays of hope. Last week, the European Union (EU) approved a military aid package worth 5 billion USD and the administration of US President Joe Biden also announced that it will send 300 million USD in aid through "disbursements". Unexpected cost savings” in Pentagon contracts for Ukraine. In addition, the Czech Republic's initiative is expected to begin sending about 800.000 artillery shells to Kiev in the coming weeks.
On March 22, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius reached an agreement to pave the way for the first Franco-German weapons factory in Ukraine. The deal involves the consortium specializing in land weapons KNDS, including the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and French Nexter. These two "big guys" have agreed to open a subsidiary in Ukraine, which will initially produce spare parts and ammunition, then complete weapon systems.
However, all of the above aid still cannot meet the current weapons needs of the conflict-ridden Eastern European country. Ukrainian officials said they could not reveal exact figures on the country's production output because of security concerns.
Many restrictions are preventing Ukraine's industry from increasing weapons production. Mr. Oleksandr Zavitnevych, head of the Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, affirmed that "the main defense resource is money", however, the national budget is not enough.
Ukraine's ability to finance domestic arms production is limited by the investment capital it can allocate. Meanwhile, Western financial support is often for non-military spending. This year, officials said, Kiev will spend about $5 billion on domestic weapons production, but all agree that this is not enough.
On the other hand, raising taxes is politically risky, if not economically unfeasible in the context of the country's "dying" economy when the majority of workers are living in low income countries. abroad, participating in hostilities or being unemployed.
Ukrainian officials support the use of part of the $300 billion of the Russian Central Bank's money blocked by the West. But even with the funding problem resolved, Kiev still faces a shortage of explosives.
Supply chain bottlenecks and surging international demand have depleted supplies of gunpowder and rocket propellant. According to Mr. Polyvianyi, this makes Ukraine's production activities face many difficulties.
The country is also cooperating with Western companies such as Germany's Rheinmetall, Britain's BAE Systems and Turkey's Baykar. Last month, Rheinmetall agreed to a joint venture to produce 155mm ammunition and rocket propellants. At the same time, Kiev is looking forward to getting cheap loans and licenses to produce and repair American weapons.
Understanding Ukraine's increased weapons production, Russia began targeting enemy production factories. Many missiles were intercepted, but some were believed to have hit their targets, although Kiev did not publicly state that the factories were attacked.
Mr. Polyvianyi said Ukraine Armor and other companies have moved part of their production abroad. As a protective measure, companies split production steps or duplicate them and put them in different locations. Several important processes take place underground. However, all this reduces the output of weapons production.
Obviously, increasing domestic weapons production is an inevitable thing that Ukraine must do to maintain its defense ability, however, removing restrictions that hinder the weapons production industry is still a difficult problem. out of this country.
