Several British defense officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian military’s handling of cutting-edge weapon systems supplied by Western allies.
An official involved in training Ukrainian troops told The Telegraph that Kyiv’s forces often mix modern weaponry with outdated, Soviet-style tactics that prioritize mass, inexpensive firepower.
For instance, some Ukrainian brigades are reportedly using the British-supplied Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) as though it were a standard rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Reports suggest that five to six one-time-use NLAWs are being fired simultaneously at Russian positions, with little regard for accuracy.
The unnamed officials argued that Ukraine has yet to fully adopt NATO’s modern battlefield tactics, which focus on effective coordination for precision strikes.
Abandoning Their Weapons
Another issue raised is the Ukrainian military’s tendency to abandon Western-supplied weapons, including the $100,000 Javelin missiles, on the battlefield during retreats.
This practice contradicts NATO’s “leave nothing behind” policy, particularly given the advanced and costly nature of these weapon systems.
As a result, these weapons are reportedly getting into the hands of the invading Russian forces, used as either “war trophies” or to reverse-engineer.
“The Russian Army probably has more Javelins than the British Army,” one of the sources suggested.