Reznikov’s optimism remains despite all the political and logistical difficulties in persuading Western countries to supply Ukraine with more modern, NATO-class weapons. He noted that many items once considered forbidden – drones, rockets and artillery – eventually reached Kiev. A frustrating game of red lines that will later be crossed by world governments.
Shortly after his appointment as defense minister last November, Reznikov arrived in Washington and requested Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, but was told “no, that’s impossible”. “I asked them why. The answer was because it was forbidden by law… and it was political issues. Then in January, a month before the invasion, we got our first package from Lithuania. It was Stingers and we got permission from the United States. So for me, that’s impossible. It’s an example that you’re hearing that it’s possible in the future.”
The same process was repeated with 155 mm howitzers and High-Motion Artillery Rocket Systems, which have had a huge impact on the battlefield since the arrival of summer.
The most important decision of the group, at least in the near term, “What kind of mother should be [battle] “We will have a tank for the Ukrainian armed forces, because we understand that all our partners with an industry capable of producing tanks, such as England, France and Germany, will expect a political decision from the United States,” he said. “After the first Abrams [arrives] I am sure we will have leopards, Marders. [German infantry fighting vehicles] and other heavily armored vehicles such as tanks.”
Poland has already donated 250 ex-Russian tanks, models familiar to Ukrainian tank crews, to Kiev. But as Moscow continues to send its own tanks and armored personnel carriers into battle, Ukrainian leaders say more modern tanks will be invaluable in repelling the Russians. Despite the prominence of cruise missiles and drones at this final stage, the war will continue to be fought on land, from village to village. And given Russia’s seemingly endless supply of armored personnel carriers, artillery and tanks, Kyiv will continue to insist on more armor.
As for fighter jets, preliminary discussions on the eventual supply of F-16s to Ukraine are ongoing, but officials in Washington make no sense that it will happen at the height of the war, as it is being pursued today due to the logistics of training Ukrainian pilots. and sending necessary spare parts for sophisticated aircraft.
More optimism on guns
Ukraine’s use of Western weapons not only helps to remove Russian troops from occupied territory, but is also a way for countries to test their equipment against a Russian army, which until recently was considered second only to the United States.
“During this war, we have a combat testing ground in Ukraine,” Reznikov said. “I think all [countries] see how we use these systems, you know, we have eight different 155mm artillery systems in the field… so it’s like a competition between these systems” to see which is the most effective.
The latest test of some of these systems is air defense against Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones, which Russia uses to terrorize civilians and attack infrastructure.
“The whole civilized world must try to figure out how to squeeze or hit them, because this is a real threat to the whole world because someday they will use this equipment against Western targets,” he said. “They will use them because they are so efficient [drone]and I think this is a real challenge for Europe and NATO”.
Civilian damage and terrorism
Reznikov also blames Ukraine for the attacks, while worried that Moscow will use the forced removal of civilians from the southern city of Kherson to justify further attacks on infrastructure.
“Probably the Russians will use this as an excuse to destroy some kind of civilian. [infrastructure] They will say that in the Kherson region or in Kakhovka and it was done by the Ukrainians,” he said. “From now on, there will again be a response by the Russians against our water supply facilities, power plants or other critical infrastructures, as after the explosion at the Kerch bridge this month”.
As the war enters its eighth month and Ukrainian forces continue to retake territory east and south, Russia’s nuclear threats and hitting civilian targets are seen as a desperate attempt to make up for its failures on the battlefield.
But the threats that led to a series of phone calls over the weekend between US and British military leaders and their Russian counterparts—including occasional calls to Reznikov—were vague enough to allow Moscow to back off.
“You know, when you have this kind of insanity in your neighbor, you have to understand that there are risks, but for me personally right now it’s not a very imminent risk because I’m not sure – and I think the Russians are. I’m not sure they’re technically prepared to do that,” he said.
Reznikov also wonders what targets Russia will hit, and says any nuclear use on the battlefield will also affect Russian troops in the region. A Russian demonstration in the Black Sea could also have far-reaching effects on NATO members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, which border the waterway.
Attacks on energy and power generation infrastructure aimed at terrorizing the civilian population far from the battlefield are a tried-and-true Russian tactic, but are used in Chechnya and Syria to make up for Russian forces on the battlefield. aforementioned.
“It really is a terrorist state and we are still waiting for the US recognition decision. [Russia] “As a state sponsoring terrorism together with the Iranian side,” Reznikov said.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution this month declaring Russia a “terrorist” regime, following similar statements from the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments.
The US and Britain didn’t go that far, but after the NATO states’ meeting in Brussels this month, Chief of Staff Gen. They targeted the elderly, women and children of Ukraine. Indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilian targets are a war crime in the international rules of war.”
Reconstruction of Ukrainian industry
The United States and a group of allies met in Copenhagen in August to map out a plan to provide long-term assistance to the Ukrainian military.
Reznikov said that this month and another meeting in Brussels, where dozens of countries have pledged more air support to Ukraine, gave him the feeling that Western countries are willing to help in the years to come.
“I felt the emotions and genuine involvement of defense ministers from different countries and from the US and UK,” he said at the Brussels meeting.
That said, “we have two challenges” in balancing urgent battlefield needs with long-term plans. “We need to organize systems to repair and maintain what we have in the Ukrainian armed forces on the battlefield. [larger repair facilities] with a more sophisticated system of repair and maintenance that can be organized in Ukraine not far from the battlefield, and thirdly in Europe, for example, in Poland, Slovakia or Romania.”
Reznikov suggested establishing joint ventures with Poland, Britain and Germany to develop weapons and equipment that could be built in Ukraine specifically for air defense systems. “We must develop an industry of UAVs not only for airborne drones, but also on land and at sea, because that is the future of warfare”.
Ukraine has already shown that it can manufacture its own weapon by sinking the Russian cruiser Moskva in April with a domestically produced Neptune missile. But more is needed.
We await the “Still Switchblade 600” drones, which the US has promised to help Kiev increase its stockpile of mobile ammunition that can hover over a target before an operator directs it to crash. The aircraft’s manufacturer, AeroVironment, said this month that the first shipment of 10 drones should arrive within weeks. Noting that Iran has sold 2,400 UAVs to Russia in recent weeks, Reznikov said, “For now, I can say that Iranian UAVs have temporarily won this competition.”
He said air defenses will remain “the number one priority” in the months ahead, as tanks and warplanes continue. “We need to split airborne targets – for example, to hit cruise or ballistic missiles that our defense systems will use… rockets like the IRIS-T from Germany and [soon] there will also be [the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System]or our Soviet systems like the Buk. “We can use cheaper equipment from Germany, such as Gepard or Stingers and Starstreak, or other equipment from our partners against Iranian drones,” he said.
As missiles and drones continue to arrive, supporting the protective blanket over Kyiv and other cities is top of mind for Ukrainian officials.
“That’s why we’re asking our partners to come up with solutions with different systems, where we need not just mid-range or long-range, but short-range systems. [from] “Different countries that have these systems, such as Sweden, Germany, and the United States,” he said.
While the needs are great and continuing, Reznikov said the constant flow of calls and calls with the allies gives his government confidence that aid will continue to flow even as Ukraine forces it to set up its own systems to ensure its own defence.
“Whatever happens, I get a clear signal from all sides that countries will support Ukraine until the end of this war, and I am confident that ending this war will mean victory for Ukraine.”
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