Former US intelligence officer revealed the ‘uselessness’ of military equipment shipped to Ukraine

09/05/2022 13:15 GMT+7

The above statement was made by Scott Ritter, a former US Marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector in Iraq in the 90s shared in an interview with RT.

Accordingly, Mr. Ritter reiterated US President Joe Biden’s recent decision to transfer military aid worth 33 billion USD to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces should receive heavy weapons, especially artillery and artillery. armored vehicle.

However, Mr. Ritter stressed that any heavy equipment that will be sent to Ukraine is tied to an “unwritten” but very important fact about maintenance. According to this expert, in the event of an incident, the Ukrainians will not be able to use American weapons.

The United States and many Western countries, including Germany, have moved in recent weeks to provide weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, to help it cope with Russia’s military activities. (Photo: AP)

“The Ukrainian military cannot maintain and repair military equipment delivered by the US, which would render them useless,” Ritter said.

The former US intelligence officer took the M777 155mm howitzer as an example. According to him, it is lighter than its predecessor, unstable to fire and wears out quickly in combat conditions. In the case of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, artillery will very quickly lose its effectiveness and become unfit for repair.

“Similar difficulties await the Ukrainian army with the American M133 armored vehicles and the German Cheetah air defense system. These weapons are outdated, worn out and guaranteed to fail immediately after entering the battle,” Mr. Ritter emphasized.

Recently, US President Joe Biden on May 6 signed an approval of a $ 150 million weapons aid package, including artillery shells, radar and other equipment for Ukraine.

Since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, the total amount of US military aid to Kiev has reached $3.4 billion, including howitzers, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles. Javelin, ammunition and drones “Ghost”…

The new aid package, worth $150 million, includes 22,000 155mm artillery shells, radar, electronic suppression equipment and other components.

This aid package was announced in the context of President Biden preparing to join the leaders of the group of 7 countries with the most developed economies in the world (G7) to have a video meeting with President Volodomyr Zelenskiy on May 8 to show solidarity with Ukraine, the day before Russia celebrates Victory Day.

In addition, in a phone call on May 5 (local time), US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized their commitment to continue holding Russia accountable for its special military operation. This is in Ukraine.

According to a White House statement, the two leaders “emphasized their continued commitment to hold Russia accountable” for its special military operation in Ukraine, and “reviewed efforts to provide security assistance to Ukraine and humanitarian aid to millions of people affected by the war.”

“President Biden welcomes Germany’s recent additional commitment to security assistance and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and their close partnership throughout this crisis,” the White House said. .

Peace (translation summary)