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Ukrainian Armed Forces face strategic mission of re-equipment

Turchynov believes that Ukraine's defence industry can sustain full production cycle and will get government contracts

Ukrainian troops during a training session at a shooting range EPA/ANDREY SINITSYN

Ukrainian troops during a training session at a shooting range

© EPA/ANDREY SINITSYN

KIEV, April 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine is facing a strategic task of rearming its army, parliament-appointed acting President Oleksandr Turchynov said when visiting a military training range on Wednesday, April 2.

He admitted that the Armed Forces had been financed by the leftover principle in recent years and “were systematically destroyed on orders from another country, disarmed and the best personnel dismissed” over the past four years.

Now the army “is basically rebuilding itself” and over a short period of time it has “been put in a state of full combat readiness”, Turchynov said.

“Rearming is now on the agenda,” he added as he was inspecting new samples of weapons – from firearms to tanks – made in Ukraine. He said “these are samples of Ukrainian weapons, the best weapons that will protect our country”.

Turchynov believes that Ukraine's defence industry can sustain full production cycle and will get government contracts.

He stressed that rearmament “is a strategic task that must be fulfilled”.

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Swiss conference on Ukraine undermines European security — Russian diplomat

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Venezuelan foreign ministry, Russian embassy hold joint conference in Caracas

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Russian children’s commissioner holds first face-to-face talks with Ukrainian counterparts

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US nuclear facilities in Northern Europe to become targets in Russia-NATO clash — MFA

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