Ukrainian soldiers fire from an American M777 howitzer in the Donetsk region. Archival photoMOSCOW, 25 Jun. The Armed Forces of Ukraine found themselves in a difficult situation in the Donbas due to the inability to use Western military equipment, writes the Indian newspaper The Economic Times. . <…> The Ukrainian army has a limited number of military personnel with sufficient qualifications to handle it", the publication notes.
As the observers specified, due to a lack of trained personnel, part of the equipment is either destroyed or captured by Russian troops. In particular, as a result of the counter-battery fight, Kyiv is losing a significant number of American M777 howitzers. The process of adapting recruits has become a serious obstacle to the effective use of weapons in combat, the journalists concluded. Since February 24, Russia has been conducting a special military operation to liberate Donbass. Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» The Ministry of Defense reported that the Armed Forces had already completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of the Ukrainian army. The Kiev authorities have repeatedly turned to the West with a request to arrange the supply of weapons. The United States, the European Union and Great Britain sent tens of billions of dollars worth of ammunition and military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a few months. Moscow, in turn, warned that ammunition depots would become legitimate targets for the VKS in the neighboring republic.