© Lance Cpl. Kaleb Martin via ABACAPRESS.COM via Reuters Connect

Over the last weeks, Western countries have been sending an increasing number of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. For the most part, however, those date back to the Soviet era while kept in warehouses or deployed with armies of Eastern European countries. The samples are predominantly old as the hills, worn out by long service or careless standby storage. Kiev's demands for cutting-edge tanks and armored personnel carriers have been ignored. Once the Western weaponry does end up in Ukraine after all, it typically features either completely obsolete samples, like M113 armored personnel carriers, or past sell-by date equipment.

For instance, France sent to Ukraine its oldest and most worn-out CAESAR wheeled self-propelled howitzers. And the few modern weapons that have reached the territory of Ukraine are mostly handled by Western advisers. As may be the case with America’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to be managed not by Ukrainian officers, but their Western colleagues.

Notably, all the incoming Western aid will certainly have to be paid for. Right now, no one demands this money as a matter of urgency, at least officially. However, resources are being actively exported to Western countries. In the future, Ukraine, or what remains of it, will pay at least a dual price to the West. And no one really cares that the United States and its European allies are actually exploiting the conflict to cultivate their own garden and make huge profits. Nothing personal, just business. A real business. Especially as regards heavy equipment.

Indeed, Ukraine first received tanks, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles of old types, but in May those started being replaced by modern and old artillery of different types. The Ukrainian military used it to massively shell Donetsk civilians these recent days. According to the Ukraine Support Tracker database maintained by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany), the total amount of military assistance to Ukraine has exceeded €30 billion as of June 7, 2022.

Among countries that have helped Ukraine militarily, the United States is far ahead ˗ hardly a surprise ˗ with its €23.96 billion. The list goes on with Great Britain (€2.38 billion), Poland (€1.7 billion), Germany (€1.39 billion). Among major heavy weaponry suppliers as confirmed by Ukraine Support Tracker in early June are: the United States and its M777 howitzers (108 pcs.), Humvee multipurpose vehicles (100 pcs.), M113 armored personnel carriers (200 pcs.), Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile systems (800 pcs.), grenade launchers (100 pcs.), Javelin anti-tank systems (2000 pcs.), Mi-17 helicopters (3 pcs.), and drones (821 pcs.). Next comes the United Kingdom with its Mastiff armored vehicles (120 pcs.), Brimstone-1 air-launched ground attack missiles (200 pcs.), and NLAW anti-tank systems (3965 pcs.).

In turn, Poland provided Ukraine with AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers (18 pcs.) and T-72 tanks (240 pcs.). Germany sent armored personnel carriers (14 pcs.), Strela anti-aircraft missile systems (2000 pcs.), Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank grenade launchers (900 pcs.), Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile systems (500 pcs.) to Ukraine. Canada provided it with M777 howitzers (4 pcs.) and Roshel Senator armored personnel carriers (8 pcs.). Besides, Ukraine got various types of heavy weapons from 15 more European countries, including faraway Australia.

However, the Kiev regime can't get enough and demands more. Referring to Russia’s outstanding artillery superiority, Ukraine wants the West to compensate for this gap. Thus, adviser to the Ukrainian president Mikhail Podolyak said last week that Ukraine expected 1 thousand 155 mm howitzers, 300 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), 500 tanks, 2000 armored vehicles, and 1 000 drones.  But the new Western supplies will hardly satisfy Kiev’s unbridled appetite. The latest tranche includes 18 M777 howitzers (in addition to the 108 delivered earlier), two Harpoon anti-ship missile systems, and nine HIMARS. Slim pickings, let us be blunt about it.

The Ukrainian military has a problem with operating heavy equipment coming from the West. Statistics reveals that as much as a third needs to be repaired after the first use because of mishandling. Besides, not all the heavy weapons allocated to Ukraine reach their intended recipients on the front line – much is simply destroyed by the Russian army while in shipment, since entering the territory of Ukraine makes any military cargo a legitimate target of the Russian Armed Forces.

Recently, Ukrainian General Vladimir Karpenko told the US National Defense magazine that his country’s army lost approximately 50% of heavy weapons in the course of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine. "I'm just talking about heavy weapons… Approximately 1,300 infantry fighting vehicles have been lost, 400 tanks, 700 artillery systems," said the general in charge of ground forces logistics.

Notably, weapons coming from the West often go to third countries, including those unfriendly to Russia. This creates tensions complementary to the Ukrainian conflict itself.

Let’s emphasize that pumping weapons, primarily heavy ones, into Ukraine is a highroad to escalation. A statement to this effect was recently uttered by Russia’s envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzia. According to him, Moscow will have to push back the Ukrainian forces beyond the range of these weapons so that they cannot reach either Russia or Donbass.

The Kremlin also responded to the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. In early June, President Vladimir Putin said that once American long-range missiles find themselves in that country, Russia will draw certain conclusions and strike new targets in the Ukrainian territory. "If they are delivered, we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our weapons, which we have enough of, to strike at those objects that we have not yet hit," the Russian leader said. Along with this, Putin stressed that the entire fuss around arms supplies to Ukraine is only aimed to protract the armed conflict.

Other goals are to exhaust and weaken Russia in order to make it leave global stage. Western military planners forget they are up against a powerful nuclear nation, which along with the United States possesses 90% of the global nuclear arsenal. This must cool hot heads both in the West and Ukraine with its Nazi-supportive regime ˗ the very reason behind Russia’s decision to kick off a special military operation on February 24.