A Ukrainian soldier stands guard outside a Ukrainian Army military camp set up on a field close to the Russian border in east Ukraine March 24, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis
Why Is Ukraine's Army So Appallingly Bad? -- Linda Kinstler, New Republic
Russian President Vladimir Putin is celebrating Victory Day in Simferopol today, admiring the Crimean peninsula that he so winningly stole from Ukraine this spring. Not too far away, in the city of Mariupol, Ukrainian police began the holiday with a deadly gun battle with separatists. Over 100 people have died in Ukraine since May 2, and despite reports that Ukraine's "anti-terrorist operation" was successfully driving out separatists in the east, it does not look like the fighting will stop anytime soon. Victory Day celebrations in Ukraine must carry an ironic tone today, as the conflict has revealed the extent to which its armed forces were systemically mismanaged since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, leaving Ukraine almost entirely helpless to stave off the Russian invasion. Here are a few reasons why:
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My Comment: Linda Kinstler from the New Republic just summarized what we all have been talking about in this blog for the past two months when it comes to the Ukraine Army .... no money, no equipment, no proper uniforms and boots, little if any ammunition, little if any diesel/gas, no food, no leadership, no direction, no will to fight, etc. etc. etc..
Update: This Reuters' post provides another summary on the problems that the Ukraine Army is facing .... Ukraine's security forces struggle to meet rebellion in east -- Reuters
3 comments:
In the New Republics photo over the headline look at the foot gear. One guy has on one sneaker and one boot. From the photo it's obvious these are recent recruits, but for a major photo op you put your best foot forward so to speak.
From the story in Reuters it's obvious the Uke regulars have zero morale and discipline.
James. Your input is always invaluable. You see things that explains everything perfectly. Because of you I now always look at the footwear that soldiers wear .... because it tells a lot.
Thanks,
Troopies, basically have two kinds of issue in gear, short term and long term. Short term, given for a specific task and then taken back. Long term, given and kept until worn out. They all tell a story. I am a little stumped with the one sneaker one boot guy in the pic. There could be a ton of alternate reasons for it. One thing is for sure some Ukrainian officer let that slip by for an important event and THAT speaks volumes.
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