Ukraine hasn't yet received part of the weapons it paid for, while some arms donated by allies have been in such a bad shape they were seen fit only for spare parts, the New York Times reported on June 19, citing two people familiar with the matter.
According to Ukrainian government documents, cited by NYT, as of the end of last year, Kyiv had paid weaponry suppliers over $800 million for contracts that were completely or partially unfulfilled.
The unnamed sources involved in Ukraine's arms purchases told NYT that some of the missing equipment had been eventually transferred to Ukraine, while in other cases, agents had returned the money. One of the sources added that as of early spring 2023, Kyiv had paid hundreds of millions of dollars, including to Ukrainian state-owned companies, for weapons that had never been delivered.
The publication also cited Volodymyr Havrylov, Ukraine's deputy defense minister dealing with arms procurement, who confirmed that part of the bought arms had not been handed over. According to Havrylov, the government has begun to analyze its previous purchases and block problematic contractors.
While Ukrainian officials have largely restrained from complaining about broken equipment, Kyiv "has grown weary" of assurances that it has enough Western weapons as some arrive in unusable condition and have to be removed from combat, an unnamed senior Ukrainian official told NYT.
About 30 percent of Kyiv's arms arsenal is constantly under repair, which is a high proportion for an army that needs all kinds of weapons it can get during an active counteroffensive, according to defense experts, cited by the media outlet.
Western countries have committed billions of dollars to Ukraine's defense assistance since Russia's full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022.
On June 13, the U.S. Defense Department announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $325 million, which includes armored vehicles, missile launchers, and munitions.
Igor Kossov
(Updated: )
