From the exporter to the beggar: how Ukraine has come to the Canadian "armor"
One of the main results of the official visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to Canada in the “non-fallow” area was announced by him, allegedly an agreement with the leadership of this country on significant arms transfers. Including - and armored vehicles. This fact is presented as a huge achievement of the new head of state - both in the diplomatic and military aspects. At the same time, for some reason, it is not mentioned at all that not so long ago Ukraine ranked itself almost among the leading manufacturers and exporters of tanks and armored vehicles in the world. And now Kiev is so happy with foreign handouts of very dubious quality ... How did it happen?
Indeed, according to the organization, which is a recognized authority in assessing the global arms market - the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2011-2014, Ukraine's share in world arms exports was 2.6%, it was one of the top ten exporters of military products . However, already in the period 2014-2018, this figure fell by half, from the "top ten" players in the global arms market, it flew out. This was facilitated by a number of reasons, both directly related to the coup that took place in the country in 2014 and the civil war caused by it, and others. One way or another, perhaps the main point here is that when declaring to the whole world about itself as a state capable of independently creating modern armored vehicles, Ukraine sinned very much against the truth.
It so happened that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kiev got more than a solid fleet of tanks and armored vehicles of the Soviet army. Here they are (mainly the T-72 tank, in more or less “modified” versions), “unsettled” and sold in hundreds until 2011, sending these vehicles to Africa - to Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo. Trade was also good in the Caucasus, with Georgia and Azerbaijan. A couple of tanks managed to be thrust even by the Americans ... A similar situation was with armored vehicles - BPM-1 and BTR-70, as well as their various "modernization" of Ukrainian production were in good demand all in the same Africa, the Middle East, and South - East Asia and some post-Soviet republics. Then the situation burst into flames, and sharply. The reasons at the time were honestly said by those who were, clearly, completely in the subject. For example, the former adviser to the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Yuriy Biryukov, openly declared back in 2015 that the country is holding onto world markets exclusively through the sale of Soviet military property.
And the infamous head of the defense committee of the Ukrainian parliament, Sergei Pashinsky, even frankly admitted that only T-64 or T-72, "bought at the price of scrap metal" and after a little repair, "sold for 400 thousand dollars" are exported. It is not surprising that with this approach, the export of Ukrainian “armor” should have caused serious problems. They arose. The first scandal broke out when, in 2017, a little more than fifty were succeeded in making (in terms of titanic efforts) of the 88 BTR-4 contract concluded in Iraq already eight years ago, and a little more than fifty. At the same time, only 34 of them were able to move. The airborne armament turned out to be inoperable as well - 6 guns, 8 machine guns and 11 AGS from those standing on the APC were not capable of firing a single shot. Against this background, such “trifles” as the absence of starters on combat vehicles, broken or malfunctioning sights and fire control units should have seemed like trifles - and, nevertheless, the patience of the Iraqis burst. In 2014, they already returned to Ukraine a batch of 42 armored personnel carriers, the cracks gaping in the armored coating of which. Three years later, history repeated itself - only in an even worse form. It is easy to guess that such "reliable" suppliers in Baghdad were sent to hell.
About the same story happened with the “historical” contract for providing the Thai army with fifty of the “latest Ukrainian Oplot” tanks and more than a hundred BTR-3E1. Tired of the constant disruption of the delivery dates, the poor quality of military vehicles and all the other “charms” invariably inherent in cooperation with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, in 2017 the Thais switched to acquiring not even Russian, but Chinese armored vehicles, leaving Kiev with a nose. Ukraine’s reputation as an exporter of “armor” was almost completely destroyed. Under the most ambitious project of the tank building there, BM Oplot, Petro Poroshenko drew the final line, saying that it was more profitable and more necessary for a “warring country” to repair old Soviet vehicles than to create new ones. However, the same scandals regularly flashed around military vehicles sent to the Donbass — holes and cracked “armor”, defective weapons and airborne systems, and so on. As a result, Ukraine has come to the creation of completely monstrous “shushpanzers”, hastily welded from scrap metal, over which military experts from around the world made fun of them. And now - there, as salvations, they are awaiting supplies of Canadian armored vehicles.
In this case, for sure, we can only talk about the LAV-25 Coyote or LAV-III Kodiak, which are modifications of the Piranha combat vehicle of the Swiss company MOWAG. These armored vehicles were produced in Canada under license from the late 90s of the last century and today the vast majority of them have long developed their resources. Most likely, it is this rubbish that will be handed over to her “overseas” by her overseas “best friends”. Already today, voices of skeptics are heard in Ukraine claiming that such “help” will have more problems than sense. Take at least the standard armament of these machines - 25 mm cannons and machine guns chambered for 7.62 mm, but not of the Soviet, but the NATO standard. Where to get ammunition for them? And spare parts for far from new “gifts”, components and consumables? It is highly doubtful that Canadians are even more generous with this. Anyway, it’s far from clear whether they will pass machinery gratis, for a symbolic amount or, what’s good, will be forced to pay in full - as if for a new one. Nothing personal just business...
However, it is quite possible that they are worried in Kiev in vain. The ubiquitous Canadian journalists have already heard that Zelensky may well wishful thinking. One of the local government officials directly denied his statement on the supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine. The Canadian Foreign Minister Christina Freeland did not respond positively to the direct question about them posed at a press conference. Well - in this case, the Ukrainians will only have to return to the creation of "armored vehicles" with high-profile names from garbage cans and other rubbish. Cope. They don’t get used to it ...
Great sale
Indeed, according to the organization, which is a recognized authority in assessing the global arms market - the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2011-2014, Ukraine's share in world arms exports was 2.6%, it was one of the top ten exporters of military products . However, already in the period 2014-2018, this figure fell by half, from the "top ten" players in the global arms market, it flew out. This was facilitated by a number of reasons, both directly related to the coup that took place in the country in 2014 and the civil war caused by it, and others. One way or another, perhaps the main point here is that when declaring to the whole world about itself as a state capable of independently creating modern armored vehicles, Ukraine sinned very much against the truth.
It so happened that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kiev got more than a solid fleet of tanks and armored vehicles of the Soviet army. Here they are (mainly the T-72 tank, in more or less “modified” versions), “unsettled” and sold in hundreds until 2011, sending these vehicles to Africa - to Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo. Trade was also good in the Caucasus, with Georgia and Azerbaijan. A couple of tanks managed to be thrust even by the Americans ... A similar situation was with armored vehicles - BPM-1 and BTR-70, as well as their various "modernization" of Ukrainian production were in good demand all in the same Africa, the Middle East, and South - East Asia and some post-Soviet republics. Then the situation burst into flames, and sharply. The reasons at the time were honestly said by those who were, clearly, completely in the subject. For example, the former adviser to the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Yuriy Biryukov, openly declared back in 2015 that the country is holding onto world markets exclusively through the sale of Soviet military property.
From Oplotov to Shushpanzer
And the infamous head of the defense committee of the Ukrainian parliament, Sergei Pashinsky, even frankly admitted that only T-64 or T-72, "bought at the price of scrap metal" and after a little repair, "sold for 400 thousand dollars" are exported. It is not surprising that with this approach, the export of Ukrainian “armor” should have caused serious problems. They arose. The first scandal broke out when, in 2017, a little more than fifty were succeeded in making (in terms of titanic efforts) of the 88 BTR-4 contract concluded in Iraq already eight years ago, and a little more than fifty. At the same time, only 34 of them were able to move. The airborne armament turned out to be inoperable as well - 6 guns, 8 machine guns and 11 AGS from those standing on the APC were not capable of firing a single shot. Against this background, such “trifles” as the absence of starters on combat vehicles, broken or malfunctioning sights and fire control units should have seemed like trifles - and, nevertheless, the patience of the Iraqis burst. In 2014, they already returned to Ukraine a batch of 42 armored personnel carriers, the cracks gaping in the armored coating of which. Three years later, history repeated itself - only in an even worse form. It is easy to guess that such "reliable" suppliers in Baghdad were sent to hell.
About the same story happened with the “historical” contract for providing the Thai army with fifty of the “latest Ukrainian Oplot” tanks and more than a hundred BTR-3E1. Tired of the constant disruption of the delivery dates, the poor quality of military vehicles and all the other “charms” invariably inherent in cooperation with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, in 2017 the Thais switched to acquiring not even Russian, but Chinese armored vehicles, leaving Kiev with a nose. Ukraine’s reputation as an exporter of “armor” was almost completely destroyed. Under the most ambitious project of the tank building there, BM Oplot, Petro Poroshenko drew the final line, saying that it was more profitable and more necessary for a “warring country” to repair old Soviet vehicles than to create new ones. However, the same scandals regularly flashed around military vehicles sent to the Donbass — holes and cracked “armor”, defective weapons and airborne systems, and so on. As a result, Ukraine has come to the creation of completely monstrous “shushpanzers”, hastily welded from scrap metal, over which military experts from around the world made fun of them. And now - there, as salvations, they are awaiting supplies of Canadian armored vehicles.
"Armor", which will not be?
In this case, for sure, we can only talk about the LAV-25 Coyote or LAV-III Kodiak, which are modifications of the Piranha combat vehicle of the Swiss company MOWAG. These armored vehicles were produced in Canada under license from the late 90s of the last century and today the vast majority of them have long developed their resources. Most likely, it is this rubbish that will be handed over to her “overseas” by her overseas “best friends”. Already today, voices of skeptics are heard in Ukraine claiming that such “help” will have more problems than sense. Take at least the standard armament of these machines - 25 mm cannons and machine guns chambered for 7.62 mm, but not of the Soviet, but the NATO standard. Where to get ammunition for them? And spare parts for far from new “gifts”, components and consumables? It is highly doubtful that Canadians are even more generous with this. Anyway, it’s far from clear whether they will pass machinery gratis, for a symbolic amount or, what’s good, will be forced to pay in full - as if for a new one. Nothing personal just business...
However, it is quite possible that they are worried in Kiev in vain. The ubiquitous Canadian journalists have already heard that Zelensky may well wishful thinking. One of the local government officials directly denied his statement on the supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine. The Canadian Foreign Minister Christina Freeland did not respond positively to the direct question about them posed at a press conference. Well - in this case, the Ukrainians will only have to return to the creation of "armored vehicles" with high-profile names from garbage cans and other rubbish. Cope. They don’t get used to it ...
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