MW: Ukraine got the most powerful army, which "disappeared" in 30 years

8

Ukraine gained independence in 1991. In terms of the size of its territory, it was the third in the USSR after the RSFSR (Russia) and Kazakhstan, had a powerful industrial potential and had a promising future in the opinion of many experts of that time, writes the American edition of Military Watch.

The Ukrainian SSR was one of the most important and industrialized republics of the superpower. It inherited a colossal portion of the former industrial giant's defense and civilian technology sectors from the USSR. It could produce at its factories a wide range of modern weapons and other military products. It was one of the most advanced industrial countries on the planet.



Ukraine has received a disproportionate amount of conventional and nuclear weapons. It has acquired the third largest strategic arsenal in the world. In the hands of Kiev were 1000 nuclear weapons, as well as their delivery vehicles. Ukraine possessed 176 ICBMs (130 SS-19 and 46 SS-24) and an impressive air fleet of 43 strategic missile-carrying bombers (23 Tu-95 and 20 Tu-160) and 241 long-range heavy bombers (90 Tu-16, 70 Tu-22, 81 Tu-22M).

The Ukrainian Air Force received 20 IL-78 air tankers, 245 Su-24 front-line bomber, 80 modernized MiG-25 interceptors and 260 MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. And this is only part of the aviation, not counting the army and the navy. By the power of its Armed Forces, which at that time were armed with advanced weapons systems, excluding the nuclear arsenal, as well as by its military-industrial potential, Ukraine also ranked third in the world, ahead of all European countries, Japan and China.

The Ukrainian state has received at its disposal entire industries, such as rocketry, aircraft construction, engine construction and shipbuilding. Moreover, Ukraine had the only Black Sea shipyard in the USSR, on which aircraft carriers were built, and the Antonov Design Bureau created the largest aircraft in the world - the An-225 Mriya.

Despite the more than serious potential of the country, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eked out a miserable existence for a quarter of a century. Mismanagement and corruption flourished. For years, the country has been selling the weapons it has inherited and Technology... It was thanks to Ukraine that states such as China, North Korea and Iran began to create their own modern military-industrial complex. Kiev even sold a practically finished aircraft carrier to Beijing at the price of scrap metal for $ 20 million and was going to do the same with Tu-160 bombers. Moreover, this deal probably involved the transfer of some technologies. After that, Washington turned its attention to the "pranks" of Kiev and forced to dispose of all missile carriers.

In the field of tank building, Ukraine got the production of the T-64 MBT in Kharkov. As part of the modernization program, due to the inertia of the Soviet backlog, first the T-80UD appeared, and then the T-84 "Oplot". Kiev wanted to become the largest tank manufacturer in the world and, after a contract with Pakistan, entered into a promising agreement with Thailand. Many States have watched its implementation with interest. However, Ukraine missed the deadline and, as a result, Bangkok did not want to continue further cooperation with Kiev. In addition, new MBTs are practically not delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and there is currently no export of tanks, therefore, with a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that tank building in Ukraine will die a slow death in the foreseeable future.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Armed Forces of Ukraine practically did not receive new weapons. Over the past decades, many industries have ceased to work, and technologies are either lost or outdated. Currently, Ukraine is faced with a huge qualitative discrepancy not only in comparison with Russia, but even Belarus and Kazakhstan, which continue to cooperate with Moscow.

Now Ukraine is dependent on the West. Kiev is even considering buying an outdated and used fleet of combat aircraft from the United States. This marks the most dramatic fall of one of the leading military-industrial nations in modern history.
8 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. passing by
    passing by
    +3
    7 November 2020 21: 37
    took a grenade from the monkeys ... laughing
  2. Afinogen
    Afinogen
    +4
    7 November 2020 21: 43
    After that, Washington turned its attention to the "pranks" of Kiev and forced to dispose of all missile carriers.

    Not all, 8 managed to somehow save.

  3. Bulanov
    Bulanov
    +5
    7 November 2020 23: 41
    It's all about the prohibition of the Russian language. Ukraine could become the second Austria in which the language for some reason is not Austrian, but German, as in Germany. And this does not prevent her from living separately from Germany. With the ban on the Russian language in Ukraine, industrial production fell, power was seized by those who want to quickly create a mono-state in a multinational country. And this is always accompanied by a drop in living standards. It is the Ukrainians who are to blame for the impoverishment of Ukraine and its people. Instead of competent technicians-managers, nationalists-humanitarians penetrate into power, except for talking they can do nothing. Well, the corruption is utter against this background.
    1. passing by
      passing by
      +7
      8 November 2020 04: 04
      Austria does not sit on the neck of Germany as dill sat on the neck of Russia ... a Ukrainian will remain a Ukrainian, even if he speaks Hebrew.
  4. beeper
    beeper
    +1
    8 November 2020 02: 38
    Selfish mean little people with scanty "Svidomo" dreams crept into the power of the multinational Ukrainian SSR even under the Union, alas!
    "Shevchenko-khatynkoy" Judeo-Mazepa-komrenegat Lyonka Telezhkin and his red-haired namesake, a graphomaniac racist-Russophobe, that megaderiban is a guarantee! negative
  5. DeGreen
    DeGreen
    +2
    8 November 2020 13: 48
    I remember well how on the Ukroverrmacht website, 20 years ago, they sold armored vehicles at the price of scrap metal. BRDM was 5000 bucks
  6. The comment was deleted.
  7. Bitter
    Bitter
    -1
    8 November 2020 20: 41
    ... Despite the more than serious potential of the country, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eked out a miserable existence for a quarter of a century. Mismanagement and corruption flourished. The country has been selling off the armaments and technologies it has inherited for years. ...

    One might think in Russia, independent of all, in the 90s everything was exactly the opposite, and the Russians, tearing their pants as they ran, rushed into a happy future. Everything looked exactly the same as in Ukraine, and even worse, until some well-known people saddled all possible pipes.
    I will not delve into what and how much Russian generals, ministers and their enterprising wards have despised and sold, mind you with the permission, and sometimes under pressure from the Kremlin king and his retinue.
    Yes, even the very existence of Ukraine within the borders that it now has is the result of an unprincipled, illiterate and selfish policy of a handful of crooks who climbed the stairs of the Communist Party, rotten from corruption, to the very top of government in order to "steer" first of all exclusively into their own pockets.
  8. polev66
    polev66
    -1
    9 November 2020 06: 10
    the fact that the military-industrial complex and other industries were concentrated by the general secretaries on the outskirts speaks of their intelligence. and knew about the collapse of the USSR and prepared the trough in advance or were stupid. who in their right mind will be at the forefront is important for the defense of the country to establish enterprises, and nuclear power plants in such numbers. all the more knowing what kind of ally there are in Eastern Europe