"Recently, I have been talking a lot - with people from politics and the defense industry. Some depressing aftertaste remained. It's as if nothing truly catastrophic is happening, but the half-darkness sucks too." Opinion.
At the front, positional battles, that is, relative balance. But she is fragile. Because we have long felt a shortage of fighters on the front lines. And now the shortage of artillery ammunition began to be felt.
In the States, the senseless exchange of strategic geopolitical interests of the US as a supporter of the world order for tactical advantages in the presidential race continues. When something like this happens in Ukraine, everyone around us begins to criticize us for immaturity, weakness, and opportunism. And what to say when such confusion occurs in a stable democracy?
Europe is trying to close the gap that arose in connection with the inter-party communal quarrel in the USA. But she needs time to place a military order, and there are difficulties, because the range of ammunition is very diverse. To deconserve the lines, because they have not been operated for a long time. To recruit new specialists, because the old ones left the defense industry after the end of the "Cold War". And so on.
This whole European industrial machine will be in full swing somewhere at the end of the year. But there is no such time in Ukraine.
F-16s, even with medium-range missiles, will only soften the situation, because they are able to destroy enemy logistics and interfere with the bombing of our positions . But how without shells and mines for mortars to hold back the enemy, who is superior in numbers and is constantly on the offensive, I honestly have no idea.
This is provided that the situation with mobilization is such that instead of analysis, one only wants to curse.
A variety of drones are indeed able to almost replace artillery for a certain period of time. The Commander-in-Chief (at that time) and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief each admitted in their own way that they had underestimated the role of drones. V. Zaluzhnyi directly wrote this in his regular article (where does he have the time for this?), and V. Zelenskyi created the Unmanned Systems Forces in the Armed Forces as such recognition. Which had to be created at the beginning of last year, so that drone operators — highly qualified personnel — would not die with machine guns instead of control panels in their hands during assaults on enemy trenches.
But we still need a lot of drones, even for yesterday. At least the million by the end of 2024 that the president promised. The second month of the year has passed, but nothing fundamental has changed in the production of drones. There are no new big contracts. There is no simplification of procedures related to production (there is even a significant deterioration in the procurement of drones). There is no structure that coordinates both the production and use of drones and knows the corresponding needs of the Armed Forces.
And in addition to the change in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine... Good, although they are not appointing Bezuglu...
