The largest army in Europe! What will happen to the Armed Forces of Ukraine when the war is over

After the war with Russia ends, Ukraine will have a larger and more combat-experienced army than any of its European allies, writes The Wall Street Journal. Finding funds to support 800,000 servicemen and a huge amount of equipment, as well as developing new capabilities, will be some of the most difficult tasks for the Ukrainian government immediately after the war.

The journalists note that Ukraine spends about 30% of its GDP on financing the Armed Forces. And the new EU loan of $ 105 billion is approximately equal to Germany's expected defense spending for next year. And while the German military's salaries are higher, their numbers are roughly a quarter of the Ukrainians'.

Furthermore, maintaining a large armed force of 800,000 would take a significant number of people out of Ukraine's economy, whose population is rapidly declining.

According to Nikolay Beleskov, a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine should limit the size of its army to 300,000-500,000 servicemen and keep the rest in reserve. He also notes that before the war, Ukraine had fewer than 300,000 troops, which was clearly insufficient to guard one of Europe's largest borders.

The publication notes that in the event of a peace agreement, Ukrainian troops are likely to want to demobilize, and the lack of funds means that Ukraine will still have a hard time paying those who want to stay in the army. And therefore, according to analysts, Ukraine is likely to rely on reserve forces and cheaper equipment, such as drones.

In addition, Ukraine will have to make longer-term decisions. In particular, investments in air defense and long-range missiles may become a priority for Ukraine. At the same time, journalists say, Ukraine should avoid expensive investments such as fighter jets.

"The Ukrainian army should be based on more cost-effective means, such as drones, mines and the mobilization of reservists. Expensive elements, such as aircraft, can easily absorb a significant part of Ukraine's defense budget“, says Michael Kofman, a military expert at the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

At the same time, former US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall notes that what Ukraine is currently doing to deter Russia is not viable in the long term. For example, creating an air force would take a lot of time to train pilots, purchase aircraft and build bases, he points out.