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Ukraine’s Poroshenko admits lack of advanced weaponry in army

The president promised that until the yearend the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be provided with 8,500 units of hardware but refrained from elaborating

Petro Poroshenko sits inside a Su-27 fighter EPA/MYKOLA LAZARENKO / POOL

Petro Poroshenko sits inside a Su-27 fighter

© EPA/MYKOLA LAZARENKO / POOL

KIEV, October 14. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Armed Forces suffer from an acute shortage of advanced weaponry, President Petro Poroshenko said in the Zaporizhia region on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian president "is discontent with certain procurements and numerous faults in the systems of management and logistics."

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"The advanced weapons are in sharp demand and unfortunately the shortages are far from being overcome," he said promising that until the yearend the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be provided with 8,500 units of hardware but refrained from elaborating.

Earlier in the day, during his working trip to the central Zaporozhye region Poroshenko handed over to Ukrainian Air Force’s officers two Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets (manufactured in Russia) which had been refurbished to NATO standards.

Along with this, he inspected aircraft at the Zaporizhia aviation repair plant Migrepont and co-piloted a Su-27 fighter jet.

Later, Poroshenko tweeted that he was flying a modernised Su jet and attached a photo.

The Su-27 fighter jet had been repaired for over five years before the president’s surprise flight on Defender of Ukraine Day.

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