Novoozerne (Crimea), October 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko claims he won't sign the 2010 national budget if the government does not ensure the proper financing of the Ukrainian army by the end of 2009.
“I won’t sign the 2010 national budget if the current situation with the complicated financing of the [Ukrainian] army’s minimum consumption does not improve, and today the army’s minimum needs are financed by 62%,” he said at a press conference in the village of Novoozerne on Thursday. “I cannot trust the premier who does not keep her word to the president, to the army, to millions of Ukrainians,” Yuschenko said.
Along with this, the head of state described the system of governmental financing as the most important problem, which is “not only hampering [military] training, but also seriously destroying that moral and patriotic spirit the army has.”
According to Yuschenko, 88 helicopters and aircraft the Ukrainian army presently has are not capable of taking off, and 70% of vessels are not capable of performing military missions.
In his words, 40% of armored vehicles and artillery in the Ukrainian army are not combat ready, and spending on the Armed Forces’ training foreseen in the national budget’s general fund has been halved compared to 2008.
Due to a lack of funds, 96% of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ personnel are being taught theory without practice.
Yuschenko took as an example the situation when 250 pilots of Ukraine’s Armed Forces have a mere four hours of flying time each.
The president noted that the financing of the Ukrainian army in 2009 remained at the previous year’s level, even without inflation taken into account.
Thus, the president summed up, proceeding from the financing by the end of 2009, the Ukrainian army needs UAH 1.5 billion to ensure its maintenance at the level of 2008.
