The Russian Armed Forces have largely knocked out Ukraine’s domestically produced weapon systems, forcing the country to rely on Western arms, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
“Ukraine was highly militarized when [the conflict] began,” Peskov told RT Arabic on Saturday. “And, as [President Vladimir] Putin said yesterday, one of the goals was the demilitarization of Ukraine. De facto this goal has been achieved.”
Peskov argued that Ukraine has been “using its own weapons less and less,” and has gradually switched to weapons supplied by members of the US-led NATO bloc.
The spokesman added that military aid to Kiev makes Western countries “parties to the conflict,” and makes the situation in Europe “more tense and unpredictable.” All this motivates Russia to take “more decisive measures to ensure the safety of the people in Donbass and the safety of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.
Putin listed the “demilitarization” of Ukraine as one of the objectives of the military operation when it was launched in February 2022.
The bulk of Ukraine’s arsenal initially consisted of Soviet-era weapon systems and their upgraded versions. However, Western countries have been increasingly supplying Kiev with modern equipment, including heavy tanks, anti-armor and anti-air missiles, drones, multiple rocket launchers, and howitzers.
Earlier this month, Kiev lost its first German-made Leopard 2 tanks and US-made M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles when Ukrainian troops launched their long-anticipated counteroffensive. According to Moscow the assault has so far failed to break through Russian defenses.