The Ukrainian government is overhauling the delivery of weapons and equipment to the frontline as troops battle exhaustion after 20 months of war.
The country’s defense ministry said the revamp aims to shorten the time vital weapons are handed over to soldiers in combat.
From now on, the government will allow manufacturers to determine the technical parameters for delivering products to customers.
The military will agree to those parameters, as opposed to before when the army was the one providing a technical framework.
Canceling Unnecessary Tests
The ministry said it is canceling weapons tests unrelated to evaluating their combat capabilities.
Previously, military weapons and equipment had to undergo accelerated climate tests for six months to ensure a warranty period of storage. This requirement is being removed.
The military will only initiate trials to confirm three factors: effectiveness, safety, and reliability.
The revamp will also see a reduced number of checks at different stages of weapons production, leaving only the most important ones.
As a result, the manufacturers will assume full responsibility for the quality of the items and the risks associated with supplying them to the Ukrainian military.
Combat Fatigue
Some Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline recently admitted to Reuters they are experiencing combat fatigue due to unrelenting battles with Russian forces.
Istoryk, a 26-year-old soldier in eastern Ukraine, said he finally managed to fall asleep one morning, but his rest was cut short after an hour because of another firefight.
He said that his unit is aware that the Russians have greater numbers and weapons, but they are managing the mismatch.
“We had a firefight for over 20 hours,” he said. “Non-stop fighting, assaults, evacuations, and you know, I managed it… We all managed it.”
