As of November 17, the Ministry of Defense not only provided for the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also formed and has been maintaining a reserve for the army in the form of more than 200 thousand body armor and more than 100 thousand helmets for a couple of months.
Next year, Ukraine will be able to independently provide all the needs of the defense forces in body armor and helmets.
This was announced by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov.
He recalled that in March-April, the situation with the provision of helmets and body armor took work.
"According to the reported data, the entire Kyiv garrison was officially in reserve last winter … one helmet. We had to start in precisely this reality. As of November 17, the Ministry of Defense not only provided for the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also formed for a couple of months it maintains a reserve for the army in the form of more than 200,000 body armor and more than 100,000 helmets," the minister said.
According to him, the reserve will gradually grow following the requests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Next year, Ukraine will be able to independently provide all the needs of the defense forces in bulletproof vests and helmets. Imports, if necessary, can become a targeted addition," Reznikov said.
He also added that Ukrainian manufacturers not only fulfilled orders for the Ministry of Defense, but also experimented, created new designs, and improved quality. In particular, a bulletproof vest was explicitly developed for Ukrainian defenders, taking into account anthropological features, with means for redistributing the load, and the like, which has no analogs.
"After completing the test cycle, he will go to the troops," the head of the Ministry of Defense specified.
He noted that a bulletproof vest of protection class 6 with ceramic plates and a number of innovations are also being tested, which reduce the load on the back and allow you to reset the protection in one movement quickly.
"That is, during the active phase of the war, we became de facto independent in one of the important elements of providing for our soldiers. We try to apply such a strategy wherever it is justified. So that Ukraine can rely on its potential to the maximum and develop it. First of all, in the process of providing weapons and military equipment," the minister explained.
According to Reznikov, in particular, the Ministry of Defense initiated and ensured the adoption of a government decision that greatly simplified the process of testing and accepting samples for armament or supply.
He added that the next step would be to review all existing development projects to leave funding only for truly results-oriented ones.
Also, the Ministry of Defense plans to change the approach to the implementation of the development projects, so that "they do not turn into an endless process that can last decades and be supported only because funds have already been spent on it, and to close it is to take responsibility."
The head of the ministry also said that Ukraine is also improving logistics, including through the implementation of the NATO Logfas programme.
"We explain in detail the logic of our actions to our partners and build a system of support projects for the medium and long term. This attracts the economic potential of the free world in favor of Ukraine. Russia is losing in this field. A tough period lies ahead. The enemy resorts to terror to cause a humanitarian crisis. But the balance has already changed. Russia is doomed to defeat. Ukraine will definitely win. We are working to ensure that the world accepts the Ukrainian vision of victory, and it comes as quickly as possible," Reznikov summed up.
