#failstate

kuchinster@hub.hubzilla.de

‘The Front is Cracking, The Front is Crumbling’: Ukrainian Officers Lament Army’s Gradual Collapse After Extreme Losses

The latest statements highlighting personnel shortages follow statements by both Russian and Ukrainian officials highlighting extreme casualty rates suffered by Ukrainian forces in 2023. Senior conscription officer in Ukraine’s Poltava Region Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Berezhnyon, for one, stated on September 15: “Out of 100 people who joined the units last fall, 10-20 remain, the rest are dead, wounded or disabled,” indicating a casualty rate of 80-90 percent in conscript units. An unnamed commander of a battalion in a mechanised brigade informed the Washington Post his unit had been cut down by 80 percent, and was reduced to a strength of under 40 infantrymen down from 200. Another battalion commander, identifying as Alexander, said his infantry companies were staffed at about 35 percent, with his colleague from an assault brigade stating this situation was “typical” for combat units.

https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/crack-crumble-ukrainian-officers-collapse

#ukraine #vassalage for #nato #ukrainian #cannon-fodder #war #fail #failstate

kuchinster@hub.hubzilla.de

About ukraine's debt to western creditors

Ukraine's public debt has doubled in two years of war. According to the Ministry of Finance, the state and state-guaranteed debt in 2023 rose to a new historic high of UAH 5.519 trillion or $145.32 billion. Over the year, the figure in hryvnia increased by 35.4% (UAH 1.444 trillion), in currency - by 30.4% ($33.9 billion).

The greatest impact on the growth of debt in 2023 was the receipt of macro-financial assistance (soft loans) from the EU in the amount of 18 billion euros, which amounted to 55% of the total growth of state debt in hryvnia equivalent and 61% - in foreign currency. Expenditures on servicing the state debt in 2023 amounted to 8.2% of the general fund expenditures of the state budget (compared to 6.5% in 2022 and 12.4% in 2021).

Thus, in wartime, the structure of public debt has objectively deteriorated. Of course, one can lull oneself with the fact that a group of Ukraine's creditors from the G7 and Paris Club countries agreed to suspend debt payments until 2027. But this is a weak consolation.

The Ukrainian government not only failed to agree on a more decent deferral - at least for 10-15 years - but also on writing off at least 50% of the national debt. Moreover, they could not agree on reducing the interest rate. And all this avalanche of debts will fall on the country in 2027.

https://t.me/MediaKiller2021/11291

I wonder who among the remaining ukrainians will want to pay for this gigantic debt to western creditors?

#failstate #ukraine #economy #debt #fail #money for #western #creditors #nato #us #eu