Providing Ukraine with weapons: UK retired colonel explains where there are gaps

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"As for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, significant efforts have been made to drive it away from performing its main activities. You can see how it is hiding, in particular in the Sea of Azov. So, the Ukrainian Navy should be applauded because they have done an exceptional job. When it comes to ground operations, the situation has changed dramatically. It used to be tough, we understood the situation around the capital, and we went mano a mano. Now everything is much more complicated, more complex," said the retired British Army colonel.

Glen Grant added that Ukrainians have won and received supplies of Western weapons and have the ability to conduct better manoeuvres on the battlefield.

"But, there is a 'but'. And this 'but' is quite a big one. Because there is a lot of money invested in the purchase of drones, but not in mortars, machine guns, artillery shells. So this is a gap. After all, artillery and rocket attacks can cause a lot of casualties. We also know the situation with air defence systems. It is known that Kyiv is equipped with modern air defence systems, but Ukraine needs more. After all, tactical fighters and military helicopters can fly in and destroy the same military targets. Therefore, there is still much to be done to improve solutions, particularly for infantry and ordinary soldiers," Grant said.

The military expert is convinced of the importance of equipping soldiers with night vision devices, bigger and better mortars. Each brigade and battalion must have its own mortars to conduct direct fire. Accordingly, there is still work to be done in this area.

• On 2 October, Germany provided Ukraine with a new package of military aid to combat Russian aggression, including special equipment, communications equipment and shells.
• On October 3, the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution to revise the EU budget for 2021-2027, which, among other things, provides for the creation of a special €50 billion Ukraine Fund.
• The White House announces that the United States is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine, which will be sent in the near future.
• The State Department called on Congress to take critical steps to continue supporting Ukraine, stressing that both US allies and adversaries are watching.