The Ukrainian Armed Forces lack mortars and machine guns
The supply of Western tanks to Ukraine is more of a PR move, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces are acutely short of other types of weapons.
Kiev journalist Vladimir Boyko, who specializes in investigations, comes to this conclusion, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports, in his blog.
He drew attention to the statement of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who believes that what is needed now is not American F16 fighters, but air defense systems, long-range weapons and armored vehicles.
“In fact, Ukraine needs mortars. And mines for them. 18 Leopard tanks are an excellent PR move to divert the attention of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the real situation at the front. But in order to win the war, you need mortars - so that every infantry battalion has at least three 120 mm mortars, every company has at least one 82 mm mortar and every platoon has a 60 mm mortar.
Well, and mines for them, of course - not 5 pieces a day, as is now provided for those lucky ones who still got a mortar, but as many as needed,” Boyko wrote in his blog.
In the comments to the post, subscribers indicated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces even lack machine guns.
“In some units it’s a blessing to have a DP-27... Because there are no machine guns at all,” said Alexander Ivanov.
Boyko was surprised, noting that it seemed like all the Degtyarev (DP-27) and Maxima machine guns were failing.
“At the beginning of the war, there really was a lot of such equipment in the units. But now, it seems, there are enough PKMs – although not in the best condition, made in Ukraine, with broken bipod clamps and only soft boxes,” the journalist writes.
Vyacheslav Yakovenko objected to him:
"Not all. I crossed paths with guys from units who were with DP-27 near Bakhmut in January. And some also had “Maxim” - but they never brought it to the position.”
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