The Ukrainian government will earmark Hr 175 billion ($4.8 billion) for the purchase of shells and missiles as part of the country's 2024 defense budget, said Deputy Defense Minister Yurii Dzhyhyr on Nov. 24.
Dzhyhyr also said that another Hr 80 billion ($2.2 billion) will go towards the purchase of military equipment. Another top priority is to repair damaged military equipment, as well as purchase spare parts, he added.
As much as possible, the Ukrainian government will try to make purchases from domestic suppliers.
"According to our estimates, more than Hr 190 billion ($5.2 billion) from the funds that will be contracted next year will remain with domestic producer(s)," Dzhyhyr said.
The delivery of shells from the U.S. has dropped in recent months as the stability of continued aid from Ukraine's largest supplier of military aid increasingly comes into question.
Hopes that Ukraine's European allies may be able to fill in the gaps in shell provisions were also likely proving to be overly optimistic, as Bloomberg reported on Nov. 10 that the EU pledge to deliver one million shells to Ukraine by March 2024 was behind its target.
At the same time, Russia has dramatically increased the size of its military budget for 2024 and has reportedly received over one million shells from North Korea.
Anna Myroniuk
