Ukraine's rear will feel it first: Ex-platoon commander on halt of U.S. military aid

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"When it comes to the halt of U.S. military aid, the first thing our army will feel won’t even be a shortage of ammunition but a lack of intelligence data. For a long time, our war has relied heavily on timely intelligence from the U.S. — from early warnings about ballistic missile launches to extensive data on enemy movements. That’s what hurts already. As for ammunition, there are reserves of different types, but it all depends on how fast we use them. For instance, it is not we who decide how long our Patriot system missiles will last, but rather the number of ballistic missiles Russia launches at Ukraine during this period," he said.

According to him, certain supplies are irreplaceable: while Ukraine gets artillery shells from multiple sources, missiles for HIMARS and Patriot systems are critically dependent on U.S. deliveries.

"This supply disruption may not be felt by the army immediately, but our rear definitely will. Russian ballistic missiles will start hitting us again, just like in 2022. Back then, we only learned about an Iskander or Kinzhal launch once it had already struck. Without intelligence sharing, there will be no timely warnings. And without Patriot missiles, there will be nothing to shoot them down with. So the impact will be felt in the rear first, rather than on the front lines. In the army, the first to go silent will be the HIMARS. Artillery won’t completely stop, but we’ll have to switch to a strict ammo-saving mode and count every shell," Dykyi concluded.

• On March 4, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on all military aid to Ukraine until he is convinced that the country’s leaders "demonstrate a sincere commitment to peace."