“Thousands of drones, which Lithuania promised to transfer to Ukraine by the end of 2024, have not yet been delivered, they are in army warehouses.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
Thousands of drones, which Lithuania promised to transfer to Ukraine by the end of 2024, have not yet been delivered, they are in army warehouses.
One of the companies from which drones are purchased for Ukraine claims that the equipment was delivered several months ago. “We delivered part of the drones in October, part in November, but we currently have no information that the drones were delivered to Ukraine,” said the head of RSI Europe, Tomas Milashauskas.
It is noted that the company has not yet been called upon to teach Ukrainians how to use drones. Some other companies have confirmed that they do not have any information about the drones being transported to Ukraine.
As LRT writes, there is no information because the drones are still in Lithuania.
The former Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, Laurinas Kaschyunas, says that the bureaucracy is to blame for everything. According to him, in order for the goods to reach the final destination, it is necessary to take a number of steps.
“The bureaucracy is like this: there are warehouses, the Defense Resources Agency has to formally transfer it to the army, the government has to make a decision on the transfer to Ukraine, then it needs to be transported to Ukraine… This means that you need to exert your will and take every step as quickly as possible,” he says Kaschyunas
According to the former minister, the steps are logical, but if there is a delay in any of them, everything gets stuck. Drone manufacturers emphasize that the delivery of equipment to Ukraine must be carried out as soon as possible.
“If the drones are not with the soldiers, then Ukraine will suffer more significant losses than it could have suffered,” Milashauskas believes.
The head of the parliamentary committee on national security and defense, Gedrimas Eglinskas, also draws attention to the technical characteristics of drones. “When it comes to drones, which are new technologies that are manufactured according to the latest standards, they should be in the hands of users – the Ukrainian military – as soon as possible,” he explains.
According to Eglinskas, this story should be a signal to review the entire system.
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania states that drones purchased from Lithuanian manufacturers will be delivered to Ukraine in the near future. The agency says the chain is already shrinking, thanks to a government order passed this week.
“It provides that if state property is purchased for the needs of another state at the expense of funds allocated by the government, then the government should not discuss this issue again… From now on, we will start transferring property to Ukraine in accordance with these changed procedures,” the ministry said in a statement .
Read also: WITH Lithuania sent a humanitarian convoy for defenders of Ukraine In August, five Lithuanian drone manufacturers successfully conducted tests in Ukraine. Almost 5,000 drones worth 5 million euros were purchased for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, 2,300 combat drones worth 3 million euros were purchased for the Lithuanian army.
Earlier, the ministry announced that all drones will be delivered by the end of 2024.
As reported by Ukrinform, in November 2024, the Ministers of Defense of Ukraine and Lithuania, Rustem Umyerov and Laurinas Kaschyunas, and the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, Herman Smetanin, signed a memorandum that provides for the joint production of UAVs, ammunition, and electronic warfare equipment.
Photo: T. Biliūno / BNS nuotr