Ukrainian Army and Special Ops Improved But Virtually No Navy and Air Force

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In 2014, Ukraine’s defense minister said the country had 6,000 combat-ready troops. Today in 2022, Ukraine’s army numbers around 145,000-150,000 troops and has significantly improved its capabilities, personnel, and readiness. Over the last eight years of war with Russia, the army and special ops have improved but have limited heavy gear. The Navy and Air Force are even weaker than before the 2014 invasion.

The Ukrainian military can slow the Russian forces but would need to avoid getting crushed by Russian air superiority. Good Special Ops and a combat-ready army would be effective for causing a lot of problems for Russian occupation.

The 2018 Law on National Security required that at least 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) be spent on security, with 3% of the total going to defense. Actual defense spending is lower, defense spending in real terms is
lower (around 2.5% of GDP). Ukraine’s 2021 defense budget is 117.6 billion hryvnia ($4.2 billion), 127 million hryvnia ($4.6 million) less than 2020’s budget.

This analysis is based upon a Jan, 27, 2022 three-page report to the US congress.

Ukraine’s navy lost 70% of its vessels and numerous officers after Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea region. In the aftermath, Ukraine’s political and naval leadership debated reforming the navy back into a balanced fleet, a traditional mix of large and small vessels, or a “mosquito fleet,” focusing on smaller vessels. In 2018, the Ukrainian navy adopted the Strategy of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Until 2035 and selected the mosquito fleet strategy, citing Russia’s dominant naval position in the Black Sea and Ukraine’s limited resources to procure larger vessels.

Like Ukraine’s navy, its air force suffered significant losses during Russia’s invasion. Russia captured or shot down multiple fighters, fighter-bombers, helicopters, and transport aircraft during the conflict. These losses weakened the air force, which previously had suffered from years of neglect and underfunding. Most of Ukraine’s planes and air defense systems are over 30 years old.

Navy and Air force modernization plans have been approved but have mostly not been implemented.

Air Assault and Special Operations Forces
Ukraine’s air assault brigades played a key role combatting Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine. Considered elite troops, air assault units originally were light infantry under the army’s command. Out of necessity and experience, Ukraine’s air assault forces increased in size and transitioned into an independent command with heavier equipment.

Analysts generally agree that the creation of Ukraine’s special operations forces is one of the most significant improvements since 2014, despite the small size of the force.

SOURCES – Congressional Report
Writen By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com

19 thoughts on “Ukrainian Army and Special Ops Improved But Virtually No Navy and Air Force”

  1. Ukraine should asked for portable anti-aircraft missiles. They should be fighting a war of attrition. Make it as expensive as possible for Russia.

  2. Would be funny to see a repeat of the Winter War(at least the first leg of it). Civies performing classic guerilla attacks on Russian formations.

    I say "funny" not in the sense that I want to see Russians or Ukraines actually killed. War is not something to be made lightly.

  3. As many mistakes as the US has made on the national stage, it is still keeping relative stability on a *global* level. And none more important probably than maritime security. Imagine the ****show if China just walked into the South China Sea and started imposing taxes on all trade going through there?
    Or decided it want the Red Sea/Suez Canal and to do the same thing?

  4. Perhaps power addicts are in charge of everything (but themselves! har), yet. Are you libertarian? Do you know that all mentally healthy people are libertarian, yet?

  5. What is happening now is auditions for Icon of Mental Illness : Power Addict. See my NBC cite below for more on how Primal Science is penetrating popular thot.

    "But no one has yet published a study on the roots and prevalence of the
    disease — and how it might be tied to early life adversity — in the
    Vietnamese diaspora."

    "The study will look into intergenerational transmission of trauma — the
    idea that elders who have dementia may pass on their wartime memories
    and trauma to children and relatives . . ."

  6. And yet they have troops on Ukraine's borders. If they would simply remove them, and withdrawal the troops that have illegally invaded Ukraine this all would be over. The only warmongerer here is Putin.

  7. If you want to know how the citizens feel, simply take a look at how they voted in the 2019 parliamentary election. Or was that a coup too? Or you could take notice that their army is still fighting to throw the Russian invaders out of their country. That speaks pretty strongly for itself.

    By the way, what time do you get off work from the Vladimir Putin Propaganda Network?

  9. To those of you who don't like America and the way it shaped the World, consider the alternatives: Russia or China in control will make you wish for America to come back. America is not the ideal World Police but it is a better force for good than China or Russia would be any day of the week.

    Peace

  10. 2013-2014 was the CIA backed coup of Ukraine where we installed an 'electorate' that was against Russia. How the citizens feel might be different.

  11. "“Most Republicans in the House are totally solid; to the extent they
    want Biden to do more, that’s at least a healthy instinct,” Malinowski
    said in a phone interview from Brussels, where a bipartisan House
    delegation was visiting NATO after meetings in Ukraine. “I do think some
    of them are slightly in denial about this other force in their party.”" -NYT

  13. Over time, and I assure you this already works, people pointing at and laughing at power addicts will cause their death. Literally and politically. Of course, until you understand that power addiction, an addiction, is thus a symptom of curable mental illness, power addicts won't be all that amusing. But how can being proud of one's own addiction to power, such as oppressing addicts or esp gays or being a strong little man, NOT be hilarious?

    edit:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/wartime-trauma-vietnamese-refugees-subject-new-study-rcna12759

  15. Can we stop warmongering against a parity adversary please? Thanks. They want us to not park nukes and troops right on their borders.

    Seems reasonable…

    There are real similarities between this ment and the beginning or WW1. Russia has a mutual defense pact with China. We won't win a twonfront war w/o nukes. And we all know how that ends.

  17. If you are curious you may want to take a look at the results of the most recent Ukrainian elections. Based on those, I would humbly offer there appears to be very little, if any, support for Russia amongst the Ukrainian electorate. This was one reason the Russians were unable to advance very far in 2014. Despite a significant number of Russian speaking people in the eastern and southern parts of the Ukraine, very few joined the Pro Russia forces in the Donbas. Now, seven years later, and with the use of the Ukrainian language on the rise, I would think support for a Russian invasion is even less now than it was then. Nostalgic feelings for Russia do exist amongst the older folks, especially those who remember the Soviet Union. But they are rapidly aging themselves out of existence. Amongst the younger generation, a strong sense of Ukrainian nationalism prevails. They are willing to fight. They proved it in 2014 when they had very little equipment or support. Now, seven years later they are much better equipped. And NATO is sending them more weapons every day.

  19. Currently the rump of the Russian army is living in a tent int the wilderness in the middle of the Russian winter. I the Russians are remarkably rugged, but even their stamina will give up soon.

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