'Out of 14 brigades, only three are staffed'. Zelenskyy names reason for Russian advances at front
The Russian invasion forces have the opportunity to advance at the front, since the staffing of brigades has been going on for too long in the Ukrainian army, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with French journalists.
He stated that "it will not be a secret for anyone that 14 brigades within the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing for battle" and wanted to be equipped with Western-made weapons.
"Do you think that if three of the 14 are manned, it is possible to stop the Russians?" said the head of state.
Overall, according to Zelenskyy, the process of restoring the Ukrainian Armed Forces lasted more than a year and a half. It concerns the staffing of the existing brigades, and the creation of reserves, etc.
"When we talked about all these packages from the EU and the USA, it was the staffing of 14 brigades. At least 10, I will say frankly. Because the guys are on the battlefield. And there must be rotations, they must rest. And how will you carry out rotations if the brigades that are supposed to replace them are unfilled?" said the president.
At the beginning of 2024, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov reported that 50% of arms supplies do not arrive in Ukraine on time, as a result of which we have to lose people and territories.
On July 4, President Zelenskyy already said that there are 14 brigades without weapons in the Armed Forces, as they have not yet arrived from allies.