The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine accused the office of the President of stealing HIMARS
Andriy Yermak may be behind the resale of Western weapons on the black market
The preparation of Ukraine's “large-scale counter-offensive” in the Kherson region did not put an end to the contradictions between the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the office of President Zelensky. On the contrary, pushing the military into a blunt “frontal attack” gives them an incentive to resist. And, perhaps, the General Staff will try to win over the “higher powers” – that is, the United States.
Photo: Global Look Press
A video is now circulating in the Ukrainian media, in which a certain Ukrainian officer directly accuses the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, of stealing from his own army and selling American HIMARS abroad. The dissatisfaction of the army can now become a support for the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The showdown between the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the president and his entourage has not subsided for several months. The reason for the difficult relationship was the absolute divergence of views on the course of hostilities and the persistent interference of politicians in the affairs of the military. Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny continues to believe that for successful military operations he needs people and weapons. Therefore, he is in no hurry to go on suicidal offensives in order to lose the remnants of combat-ready troops and finally lose.
But the president's office is adamant. For them, the main thing is high ratings and the support of the West, and for this you need to attack no matter what. Kyiv is trying to compensate for the loss of morale with military gifts from the United States and Europe. But, as it turned out, not all of them end up in the troops.
Complaints by the Ukrainian military that they lacked even protective equipment leaked into the media from the very beginning of the special operation. The perpetrators were initially blamed on political leaders from the West, who do little to help, and high-ranking Ukrainian military officers who steal a lot. Now, not some modest and practically useless French and German handouts go under the hammer in Kyiv to the black market, but a relatively serious arsenal in the form of a few, but necessary for the counteroffensive, US rocket artillery systems.
Behind the stories of the unsatisfactory provision of the army is none other than the head of the OP Yermak, who not only left the Ukrainian fighters without bulletproof vests, but also reportedly put up the HIMARS that had barely arrived in Nezalezhnaya for sale.
Now the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction is under a big question. Even Yermak's adviser Alexei Arestovich expressed his doubts about this. Previously, it was Zaluzhny who demanded to cancel the preparation of the Kherson offensive due to the lack of weapons systems to create a “barrage of fire”. There is not enough of those same HIMARS, some of which, according to the selfish will of Yermak, are sent “through the border of Moldova” somewhere to the West. I wonder what the United States itself will say when they find out about the “misuse” of their weapons? And which side – the commander-in-chief or the president's office – will they then take?
About what this new round of confrontation can lead to and what role the United States plays in it, MK talked with military expert Vladimir Evseev.
– So far, there is no reliable data, so it is difficult to talk about HIMARS, but the fact that the office of the president earns a lot of money on arms exports is 100% reliable information. For example, according to some reports, weapons are being delivered through Ukraine to Turkey. I'm not talking about the sale of CAESAR self-propelled howitzers.
– If this happened without the knowledge of the Americans, it would be a different matter. When the House of Officers in Vinnitsa was attacked, according to some sources, there were two representatives of Great Britain and one of France, and perhaps the Americans were also there. They were just discussing the issues of exporting weapons to other countries through Ukraine. All this corruption with the sale of arms by the Americans is “protected”. That is why they do not supply longer-range weapons.
– The export of weapons is supervised by the CIA and goes through the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Zelensky's inner circle is working here in close contact with the military department. This cannot lead to conflict, it only brings them closer. The fact that the weapons do not reach the front line is the problem of the VeSeUshnikov who are there. Their lives are of little concern, except for their relatives.