Andriy Taran: State Defense Order of Defense Ministry is 99.5% fulfilled

As of December 26, 2020, the Ministry of Defense has fulfilled the State Defense Order by 99.5%. State contracts were concluded for the amount of UAH 21,898 billion of the total allocated UAH 22,005 billion. The volume of purchases of new and modernized weapons, military equipment and special-purpose items supplied to the troops has been increased. Despite the restrictions on the work of enterprises of the military-industrial complex associated with coronavirus pandemy, it was possible to ensure the supply of weapons and military equipment at the level of 2019, and in some areas (provision of ammunition, armored vehicles, digital communications) even exceeded the volumes of the previous year, said Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran. The Journalist reported with reference to press center of the Ministry of Defense.

According to him, the troops, in particular, were supplied with 10.5k pieces of equipment, 3.2 million pieces of ammunition. The production and delivery of weapons and military equipment in 2021 was paid in advance for the amount of UAH 6.5 billion.

“The main resource next year should be planned for the purchase of new weapons, and not for the repair of obsolete models. It is necessary to change the vicious practice when the State Defense Order and the formation of purchases are used only as a way to meet the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We must create conditions and use State Defense Order as a tool for the strategic development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said Andriy Taran.

To this end, the approaches to the distribution and use of funds for the purchase of new (modernized) weapons and military equipment will be revised.

“Also, the relevant divisions of the Ministry of Defense were tasked with ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Defense Procurements” as soon as possible. In 2021, new procedures for the procurement of goods, works and services for defense purposes should be transferred. To do this, we are developing a new method of purchasing at the cost of a sample, taking into account its life cycle,” the Minister of Defense said.

Andriy Taran noted that for the first time in the history of the defense department, a regulatory framework has been created and direct international agreements on the purchase and supply of imports of weapons and military equipment, as well as components for them, which are not produced in Ukraine, have been practically implemented.

In particular, contracts have been signed with Turkish companies for the purchase of unmanned aerial systems and the construction of corvette-class ships with the transfer of appropriate technologies and a further increase in shipbuilding in Ukraine.

Also, the necessary preparatory work was carried out to conclude a contract for ordering three AN-178 aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will be signed in the near future.