At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, some countries did not want to sign contracts for the sale of ammunition with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, so intermediary firms, primarily Ukrainian ones, had to be involved in this process. This was stated in an exclusive commentary to UNN by Serhiy Kuzan, head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation.
Earlier, in response to a request from UNN, the Ministry of Defense reported that since 2022 it has filed more than 100 lawsuits in courts due to the failure to fulfill contracts for the supply of weapons and ammunition for the army.
"It is often impossible to buy directly from the state. We have to use intermediary companies, primarily Ukrainian ones. For example, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, some countries did not want to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the sale of ammunition because they feared that our country would lose the war and no one would pay for it. At that time, contracts were signed by intermediary companies," the expert said.
The use of intermediary firms was a forced step by the MoD, but, according to him, the scheme had certain risks, including the threat of contract disruption.
"The only way out is for Ukraine's partner countries to buy these shells for our army. For example, as is the case with Serbian 122-mm caliber shells of the new ER Grad 2000 model for MLRS. Third countries buy them in Serbia and pass them on to us," explained Kuzan.
He added that many partner countries could be involved in the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine, primarily European countries.
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It is difficult for Ukraine to buy much-needed ammunition for the army because the arms market is very specific and operates as a large monopoly where the main players know each other. In addition, Russia is creating problems on the global market so that Ukraine cannot buy weapons and ammunition of a special Soviet design. In particular, the aggressor country uses its influence on the Balkan countries, where there are still warehouses with such weapons.
In addition, experts in comments to UNN reported that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ministry of Defense was forced to sign contracts with all companies that claimed to be able to supply shells due to critical need.