Ukraine’s new defense minister reveals scale of desertions as millions avoid the draft
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Widespread desertions and 2 million deserters are among a host of challenges facing the Ukrainian military as Russia continues its offensive. invasion of neighbor This happened after almost four years of struggle, the new defense minister said on Wednesday.
Mykhailo Fedorov told the Ukrainian parliament that other problems facing the Ukrainian armed forces include excessive bureaucracy, a Soviet-style approach to management and disruptions in the supply of equipment to troops along a nearly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) radius. front line.
“We can fight not with new technologies, but with an old organizational structure,” Fedorov said.
He said the army faced nearly 200,000 desertions and nearly 2 million deserters.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 34-year-old Fedorov was appointed at the beginning of the year. The former head of Ukraine’s digital transformation policies is known for pioneering the military’s drone technology and introducing many successful e-government platforms.
His appointment was part of a broad government reshuffle that the Ukrainian leader said was aimed at sharpening the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy in a new environment. US-led crackdown to find a peace agreement.
Fedorov said the defense ministry faces a deficit of 300 billion hryvnia ($6.9 billion) in financing needs.
The European Union will reserve most of it major new loan program The European Commission will help fund Ukraine’s military and economy for the next two years, President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
Fedorov said Ukraine’s defense sector has expanded significantly since Russia’s large-scale invasion in February 2022. He said that at the beginning of the war, there were seven private drone companies and two companies developing electronic warfare systems in the country. He said that today there are nearly 500 drone manufacturers and nearly 200 electronic warfare companies in Ukraine.
He added that some sectors have emerged from scratch, including as many as 20 private missile manufacturers and over 100 companies producing ground-based robotic systems.
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