US financial support is the basis for Lend-Lease implementation
The Lend-Lease Act is an obstacle-free highway that allows the US President to make decisions in cooperation with the Ukrainian side on the types of weapons that the Ukrainian army needs. Formerly we had to provide a long list of weapons, excluding nuclear weapons, but including diverse kinds of long-range weapons, aircraft, communications and much more that has allowed the Ukrainian army to gain an advantage on the battlefield. This is accompanied by the provision of financial support in the amount of $40 billion, as the financial basis for the Lend-Lease deal’s implementation.
Howitzers are already at the front
We also know that the United States has provided us with significant assistance, such as the renowned M777 howitzers, which are already at the front. The Ukrainian Defense Minister informed his American counterpart that all howitzers are already being used against the Russian forces and they are really helping us at the front, specifically near Kharkiv and in the Izyum direction.
Interestingly, these howitzers are used in conjunction with Ukrainian KrAZ vehicles, for mobility. I think that Lend-Lease could be the basis for the further development of our defense industry in the most promising areas. In particular, heavy military vehicles could be paired with foreign aid.
In addition to howitzers, American equipment, such as the M113 armored personnel carrier, is already in use. Mi-17 helicopters are already operational, with three of the eleven models available are being used now in Ukraine. This military assistance really helps us to provide a new level of opportunities for the Ukrainian army.
Additionally, negotiations with Slovakia on obtaining howitzer Zuzana 2 are ongoing. Incidentally, Ukrainian military personnel are already in Slovakia, where they are receiving training in how to use these weapons on the battlefield, but the contract with Slovakia has not yet been signed. Apart from Slovakian howitzers, we have also received artillery from France, Czech Republic and expect to get powerful howitzers PzH 2000 from Germany and the Netherlands. I think that artillery weapons are very important in anticipation of the main battle in the Donbas, which is already happening.
Russian army is looking to replace lost drones
The Russian army’s drone situation is now critical. British intelligence reports also highlighted the Orlan-10 UAV problem in the Russian army. I had a conversation with the Ukrainian military, who said that the Russians really have far fewer Orlan-10 drones. Only 1,000 such drones were produced, we are not talking about complexes, but about individual models. And we destroy 10-14 of them per day. In one situation they prepared a pontoon crossing and used drones, but they did not have enough. Russia is waiting for Chinese drones to replace the Orlan drones they are lacking. They are also lacking personnel able to operate the Orlan-10 complex. They are redeploying personnel from Syria who can use these drones to Ukraine. In fact, we can say that the Russian army is becoming smaller. This means that technological problems take place on a fairly wider front and really limit Russian forces from carrying out any offensive.
Kremlin purges its own generals
We hope that the Russian forces will be left with no one to field in the theatre of war, personnel or generals. As for the purges, today the Central Intelligence Agency shared interesting information that the Kremlin has begun a purge among its own generals. Several admirals and several army commanders have been removed from office. As for the generals, the Black Sea Fleet commander and his deputy both lost their jobs due to the Moskva cruiser disaster. And when as for the 6th Army commander, the 1st Panzer Army commander, the 22nd Corps and the 103rd Corps commanders, they were dismissed for failure to perform combat missions and significant personnel losses.
The Guardian reported that Putin is personally taking low-level decisions in the hostilities at the tactical and operational levels, and is focused on the Donetsk direction. How Moscow runs wars has not changed since Stalin. Putin sets the task, and if something doesn't work out, the generals are the ones to blame. It is clear that the system itself is flawed. A corrupt state cannot have a good army and proper, functioning leadership, as shown by Russia's military operations in Ukraine shows.