Ukraine will acquire its first F-16 fighter jets “very soon”, but about half of the foreign military aid it needs is arriving late, the country's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during an interview given last night to Reuters , writes BTA.
The minister said that Russia has additional manpower and equipment at the front – more than 27 months after the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military has managed to stabilize the newly opened front in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces attacked earlier this month. According to Umerov, Moscow is currently preparing a new strike.
„Their aim is to open a new front in the north to use all their manpower and firepower against us. "They still aim to destroy our nation," he said.
„We are behaving, but, of course, we need more weapons, we need more firepower, we need long-range missiles to prevent them from entering the country,” Umerov added.< /p>
He said Ukraine was grateful for the military aid and weapons supplied by its partners, but pointed out that only half of the promised shipments were arriving on time. Any delay benefits the larger and better-equipped opponent along the 1,200 km stretch. front line.
Even before Russian forces swept into northern Kharkiv Oblast this month, seizing border villages and forcing thousands of civilians to evacuate, they had been slowly advancing for months in eastern Donetsk Oblast.
„Time is particularly important, and in order to repel attacks, we need timely deliveries,” Umerov said.
Ukraine is also struggling to mobilize enough troops it needs to replenish and rotate its exhausted fighters, some of whom have been fighting since February 2022. Last week, a new law on mobilization entered into force in Ukraine.
Umerov said up to 1.2 million men have updated their military records online as required by law to help with military recruitment, but did not say how many the government wants or thinks it will be able to call up.
Military analysts put the number of Ukrainians serving, including in security and law enforcement, at more than one million people.
The minister stated that Russia has deployed about half a million soldiers in Ukraine and along its border, preparing to add an additional 200-300 thousand to them.
Umerov, himself a Crimean Tatar by nationality, confirmed that Kiev intends to liberate all its territory within the internationally recognized 1991 borders, including Crimea.
But the main military objective in the coming months is to hold the defensive lines and contain the enemy while Ukrainian air, sea and land capabilities are strengthened.
He said he expects deliveries of the F-16 fighter jets “hopefully very, very soon”.
When asked how many units Kiev expects to receive, Umerov replied: “We need as many as we can get”. At the same time, the Minister of Defense assured that “at this stage” Ukrainian forces have focused on training and exercise, building infrastructure and acquiring and modernizing equipment.
He added that Ukraine continues to increase its own production of weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as means of radio-electronic warfare.