The Program suggests further reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, mostly merging different units and improving military governance and more updates from the MoD.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted draft of the State Program on Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2020. This document defines ways of implementing adopted strategic decisions as well as objectives and measures aimed at planned acquisition of capabilities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The Program was developed according to the approach suggested by foreign experts during their work on the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine. “Objectives and tasks of the draft State Program fully comply with objectives and tasks of the Strategic Defense Bulletin. Significant part of project activities are aimed at gradual adoption of Euro-Atlantic Standards,” said Ministry of Defense of Ukraine spokesperson Col. Dmytro Gutsulyak at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. He added that in the near future the draft State Program will be considered at the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and submitted for approval to the President of Ukraine.
Col. Gutsulyak added that the Ministry has finished forming a set of Operation Commands military units. Within the Reserve of the Chief of General Staff they created two military administration units with supporting units and eight regiments of military branches. Additionally, the Ministry continues merging Armed Forces organizational military units. Since the beginning of 2016, 75 military units were merged.
Over the past week public enterprises supplied to the Ministry 858 items of military equipment, such as modernized armored personnel carriers, stations for electro-optical countermeasures, new trucks, infrared imagers, sniper guns and complexes for cryptographic protection of information. Dmytro Gutsulyak noted that in 2016 the army received nearly 100 thousand pieces of ammunition and over 1300 modernized samples of military equipment.
Almost 1500 of military medical workers are involved to ensure medical aid to the servicemen in the east of Ukraine, almost 150 of them are doctors. Technical support for evacuation of the wounded is ensured by over 350 vehicles, helicopters Мі-8, a medical aircraft Аn-26 “Vita” and transport aircraft Аn-148. Col. Gutsulyak noted that since the start of the ATO Аn-26 “Vita” has evacuated over 3300 servicemen.
Dmytro Gutsulyak said that the High Economic Court of Ukraine by its final decision returned the buildings on the territory of Military Medical Clinical Center in Kharkiv to the Ministry of Defense. These facilities will be used to provide help to servicemen injured in the east of Ukraine.
At present 89 servicemen who have been wounded in the course of fighting in East Ukraine undergo treatment in the medical facilities of the Ministry of Defense, said the MOD spokesperson. Twelve servicemen undergo treatment abroad: six in Germany, two in Latvia, two in the USA and two more in Italy. 49 wounded Ukrainian troops undergo rehabilitation in Ukraine.
