Informational – analytic review of defense news by Defense and Security Policy Center
1. Defense planning: strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 2009 - 2011
30.10.09 Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko by his decree № 885/2009 enacted decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on October 13, 2009 "On Amendments to the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on September 26, 2008 "On urgent task of increasing defence capabilities of Ukraine".
Comment: third paragraph of point 3 of the decision of Ukraine's NSDC from September 26, 2008 "On urgent task to improve the capabilities of Ukraine", enacted by the Decree of President of Ukraine of January 10, 2009 № 2, got a new redaction: "determining the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 31, 2009 in the amount of 200 000 people, including 150 000 military personnel, on December 31, 2010 in the amount of 200 000 people, including 159 000 military personnel, on December 31, 2011 in the amount of 200 000 people, including 160 000 troops".
2. Army and Society: prevention measures against the spread of influenza and other acute respiratory diseases among the troops
31.10.09 Temporary executed duty of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Valeriy Ivashchenko decided to suspend shipments of young conscripts from military commissariats to troops till November 12, 2009 and complete discharge of soldiers who completed time of military service, by November 6, 2009.
Comment: This decision was taken because of the complicated epidemic situation in Western Ukraine and the introduction by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine the quarantine measures in 9 regions of the state - Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky, Rivne, Zakarpattya, Chernivtsi, Crimea, Vinnytsia. Sending a teams of young conscripts to replenish the Armed Forces and other military formations of Ukraine planned for the period from 12 to 27.11.09. Commanders and heads of various levels of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ordered to complete discharge soldiers who complete time of military service be 06.11.09.
3. UAF vital functions: prevention of the prevalence of influenza and other acute respiratory infections
MoD and General Staff of UAF are taking effective measures to prevent the spread of influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections among soldiers, - reported 31.10.09 Chief of Main Military Medical Directorate - Chief of Medical Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major-General of Medical Services Petro Melnyk.
Comment: He said that the quarantine measures are taken in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, soldiers who returned to military units from vacations and trips from the western regions of the state are examined. On the issue of providing assistance to civilians, - said Petro Melnyk, - Medical Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is ready to assist our people to fight the epidemic of influenza and acute respiratory diseases. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have 5 regional and 11 regional sanitary-epidemiological units, a virological laboratory that can express a method to identify these or other pathogens. Ukraine's Armed Forces are ready to give in order of Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine required number of intensive care beds for seriously ill with viral-bacterial pneumonia, which are treated extremely seriously. If necessary, from the two mobile hospitals can be provided diagnostic centers, office and laboratory of functional testing, X-ray diagnostics, ultrasound and endoscopic diagnosis units.
4. Peacemaking: the rotation of national component of the joint Ukrainian-Polish peacekeeping battalion "UkrPolbat"
01.11.09 began regular - 13th rotation of national component of the joint Ukrainian-Polish peacekeeping battalion UkrPolbat multinational tactical group "East" KFOR in Kosovo.
Comment: During the rotation will be completed the replacement of personnel of the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent - 184 military personnel. Rotation is scheduled in two phases combined way - by rail and road. In the first stage 01.11.09, by rail 81 Ukrainian peacekeepers left Kyiv to the Bulgarian capital Sofia. In Sofia, our peacekeepers will leave by road to the base camp of the national contingent of U.S. military base "Bondsteel" in Kosovo. During the second phase of the rotation, which is scheduled for November 13, 98 more peacekeepers will go by combined method to Kosovo.
In new rotation of national component of the joint Ukrainian-Polish peacekeeping battalion "UkrPolbat" involved the soldiers mostly from 95-th separate airborne brigade of the 8 th Army Corps Land Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On the post of commander of the national component of "UkrPolbat" new rotation assigned the Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of 95-th separate airborne brigade Lieutenant Colonel Michael Zabrodskyi.
The units of Armed Forces of Ukraine perform peacekeeping tasks in Kosovo from September 1, 1999. Among the major tasks assigned to personnel of Ukrainian troops are patrolling, security of movement of local residents, duty at the observation posts, humanitarian assistance, verification of road transport and the public in terms of availability of weapons, explosives, narcotics and smuggling, protection of historical monuments, etc.
5. NATO antiterrorist operation "Active Endeavor": participation of corvette "Ternopil” from Navy of UAF in patrolling the designated areas of the Mediterranean
27.10.09 after the first 4-day patrolling designated areas of the Mediterranean Sea during the NATO antiterrorist operation "Active Endeavor" Navy Ukraine Corvette "Ternopil" back to the Greek port of Souda Bay and is ready for further combat duty.
Comment: When parking at the port of Souda Bay crew "Ternopil" will replenish stocks of fuel and foodstuffs. During the first patrol the crew of the Ukrainian ship, in collaboration with the Greek Navy frigate "Salamis" undertook the survey of civilian ships and completed a number of maritime tactical exercises. In particular, it was carried out to ensure universal, comprehensive defense of the ship, conducted search and rescue training rescue a man who was drawn out, anti-submarine surveillance, and tactical maneuvering in a pair with a Greek ship.
The aim of the operation "Active Endeavor" is fight against terrorism within the zone of operations in the Mediterranean Sea to prevent illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition, anti-illegal movement of people and other illegal activity using the civil courts. The main task of operations is patrol and monitor the movement of ships in the area of operations. Ukraine was second after the Russian Federation from the countries - not NATO members, which joined Operation Active Endeavor. Ones of the main forms of participation of UAF in the operation are functioning the Navy of Ukraine Staff point of contact - an element of data exchange within the operations, sending Ukrainian military liaison officers to headquarters operations (in Napoli, Italy), involving a group of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to participate in the review of suspicious vessels, sending Navy ships and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the forces determined to participate in the operation.
6. International cooperation: Danish military delegation visit to Ukraine
27-29.10.09 the Danish military delegation led by Deputy Permanent Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mr. Christian Fischer visited Ukraine.
Comment: 28.10.09 Danish delegation held talks with Commander of Naval Forces of UAF, Admiral Igor Tenyuh in Sevastopol on board of frigate "Hetman Sahaidachnyi". They discussed further development of bilateral cooperation between the naval forces of both countries, in particular, the search and rescue capabilities. The delegation visited the Center for search and rescue operations of the Navy.
29.10.09, during a visit in Kiev, Christian Fischer met with Temporary Executed Duty of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Valeriy Ivashchenko and told with military delegations of both countries. The parties continued to discuss a large range of development issues, like Ukraine - Danish, and Ukraine's cooperation with NATO and the EU in the defense sector. Danish side confirmed its intention to continue cooperation within the earlier joint projects, such as the operation of transportation fuel on the island of Greenland "Cossacks on the ice – 2009". Sides agreed to continue mutually beneficial cooperation within multilateral projects, particularly in the Nordic-Baltic Initiative (Nordic-Baltic 8).
7. International cooperation: bilateral relations with the Slovak Republic
Bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the Slovak Republic has been discussed in Kiev 30.10.09 during the meeting of Temporary Executed Duty of Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Valeriy Ivashchenko and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Ukraine Mr. Pavol Hamzhik.
Comment: The parties noted that bilateral cooperation in various fields, including military, each year becomes more serious and important for both countries. Pavol Hamzhik noted that Slovakia has a desire to help Ukraine in the professionalization of its Armed Forces. The Slovak Republic is interested in upgrading on the repair enterprises of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine armored vehicles and aircraft, including BMP-2 and Mi-17. Ukraine has considerable scientific potential and we are interested in cooperation with the Ukrainian research centers, - said Pavol Hamzhik. Ukraine and Slovakia need a global sample of modernization of armament and military equipment of Soviet manufacture, which are in large numbers in both countries. The parties discussed and agreed on issues related to bilateral cooperation plan signed between the defense departments of Ukraine and Slovakia in 2010.
8. Problems of conversion: removal of recycling components of liquid rocket fuel
The first batch of rocket fuel component mélange sent for disposal to the Russian Federation from 195-th Storage of Components of Rocket Fuel of Western Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stationed near the town Kalinovka Vinnitsa region already in mid-November this year.
Comment: 29.10.09 commander of Storage Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Selezen told about willingness to take the fuel tanks and start the process of export. Some tanks have come from Kharkiv, the other - from the Russian Federation. Export of melange will blend according to the contract signed between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the OSCE. Today at the storage are about 1000 tons of melange
As the legacy of the Soviet Union, in Ukraine's Armed Forces remain almost 16.7 thousand tons of surplus and substandard components of rocket fuel (IF), of which the majority are melange (melange-20F, 20th-melange, melange-20K, 27th-melange, melange-27P) . In accordance with the signed in March 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on the draft OSCE - Ukraine on disposal of melange, the OSCE has committed itself to help Ukraine destroy the first 3168 tonnes of melange.
These 16,339.36 tons blend stored at 6 propellant depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Planned to dispose of surplus and substandard components of rocket fuel blend type 20F, 20th, 20K, 27P, and 27th in Kalinovka, Vinnitsa region - 0.9499 tons in Tsenzhyvi, Ivano-Frankivsk region - more than 2.2 tons, in the Radekhov, Lviv region - more than 2.9 tons in Sevcenko, Kharkiv region - more than 4.2 tons, in the Bila Cerkva of the Kiev region - more than 1.3 tons and Lyubashivtsi, Odessa region - more than 3 tons.
9. The Army and Society: emergency events consequences elimination
30.10.09 at the 61-th Army Arsenal of Southern Operational Command of the Land Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, located near the city of Lozova of the Kharkiv region, is completed the implementation of works to re-buffed 3-kilometer zone - the main focus of last year's explosion.
Comments: the sappers from 92 separate mechanized brigade of 6 AC of the Land Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine complete mine clearing on the 2081 hectares in the 3-kilometer zone. The first purge of the sector was made last fall. Re-search, removal and disposal of explosive items and making a special passport clearance is conducted in 3-km zone during September and October this year. During the work were extracted and concentrated in a temporary storage place 50 681 pieces.
Today on Arsenal is about two thousand tons of ammunition and categories that are not damaged by the explosions, and fully usable. By the end of this year they will be moved by rail to the other arsenals and bases.
