The state of Ukraine's military takes center stage in official circles
by Marta Kolomayets
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly
KYIV - Fifty-seven percent of Ukraine's military officers do not think the nation's armed forces are capable of defending its territorial integrity and independence.
Only 30 percent of the 1,000 officers surveyed this month by the Center for Social Monitoring said Ukraine's armed forces are qualified to defend their country's independence, while 13 percent found this question difficult to answer.
Also, 69 percent of the officers - from all regions of Ukraine - said they were unhappy with their military service; only 24 percent were satisfied; while 7 percent did not express an opinion.
This state of affairs in Ukraine's armed forces, which marked the fifth anniversary of their creation on December 6, does not bode well for the Ministry of Defense, and it has become a hot topic of discussion over the last few weeks among high-level officials.
Speaking to the Defense Ministry's Collegium, the council of generals and high-ranking officers, on December 13, President Leonid Kuchma severely criticized the abysmal situation among the ranks of today's military, citing lack of discipline and disrespect for officers as the main problems among the ranks of enlisted soldiers.
He said he would hold senior armed forces commanders personally responsible for the over-all state of the military, adding that the national program for the development of the armed forces should be approved as soon as possible.
The program has become a top priority for the National Security and Defense Council headed by Volodymyr Horbulin, which includes among its members Minister of Defense Gen. Oleksander Kuzmuk. It has met a few times this year to develop a program for Ukraine's armed forces, and is scheduled to meet again on in late December to finalize a revised draft of a 10-year program to build and develop the armed forces.
The program intends to drastically scale down and modernize the military. According to Defense Minister Kuzmuk, it takes into account Ukraine's current economic situation, as well as the role the military should play both domestically and globally.
President Kuchma pledged that Ukraine's defense budget would not be cut; however, he did not disclose any figures, as the 1997 state budget continues to undergo heated debate in the Verkhovna Rada. The 1996 budget allocated $738 million (U.S.) for defense.
The Ukrainian commander-in-chief demanded explanations from the top brass gathered at the Collegium, the Defense Ministry's headquarters: "I have listened to explanations regarding the chaos in Ukraine's armed forces today, and I have stretched my limits to accept what I have been told. But, when we start talking about discipline, I will not accept any excuses, nor do I want to hear any excuses. Discipline is a sacred thing in the army. And what kind of discipline do we see in the army today?"
He offered the following examples:
"Where is your officers' honor?" President Kuchma questioned the leaders of Ukraine's armed forces, "Where is your understanding that you - from lieutenant to colonel general, from commander of a unit to the minister of defense, are to be, if not parents to these boys, then at least mentors to your subordinates."
"People entrust to you what is dearest to them - their children," he said. "And your responsibility is to return them to their parents, return them alive, and not crippled physically, spiritually and morally." The president also noted that he holds the leaders of the armed forces in Ukraine responsible for the fact that many soldiers die in the army because of careless accidents or suicide.
He also said he would instruct the Procurator General's Office to immediately begin investigating various reports regarding arms smuggling, and he underlined that no one would go unpunished if found guilty of such crimes.
According to the Procurator General's Office, over 13,000 firearms have been sold in Ukraine - stolen from military bases and arsenals. President Kuchma noted that not only weapons are being sold, but also technical equipment, spare parts and ammunition. He also questioned why none of the 191 motorized and tank battalions are ready to fulfill combat tasks, but insisted that all repairs and renovations on this equipment be done only in Ukraine.
Turning to global matters, the Ukrainian leader said Ukraine's Defense Ministry should take a leading role in relations between the United States and NATO, taking more practical moves rather than just issuing declarations of intent.
The president did express confidence in Ukraine's role as a peacekeeper.
He noted that Ukraine's armed forces are responsible for as much as 70 percent of activities under the Ukraine-NATO Partnership for Peace program, as well as under its United Nations initiatives. He said in the last four years more than 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers have taken part in joint peacekeeping operations, adding that 17 soldiers have been killed and 50 wounded in these missions. Ukraine is involved in six out of the 16 peacekeeping operations now active worldwide.
"Our peacekeeping activities are broadening; our numbers are growing throughout the world, as various kinds of troops are drawn in," said President Kuchma. He added that "this promotes the strengthening of the international prestige of the state and its armed forces."
Gen. Kuzmuk observed that the possibility of establishing a professional army could not be considered until the completion of the 10-year program in the year 2005.
"A professional army requires the appropriate economic conditions," he said, adding that by the year 2005 armed forces personnel should be down from the current level of 400,000 to 350,000.
After the break-up of the Soviet Union, there were about 700,000 troops in Ukraine, including forces withdrawn by Moscow from Germany, Hungary and Czecho-Slovakia. Under agreed manpower ceilings, these were scheduled to be reduced to 450,000 by 1995, a goal that was achieved.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 29, 1996, No. 52, Vol. LXIV
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