Criticism of the Ministry of Defense for purchasing new 152-mm Dana M2 self-propelled howitzers of the latest modification from the Czech Republic for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is unfounded and may be based on the personal interests.
This statement was published on the official Facebook page of Major General of the Security Service of Ukraine, an expert on state security Vasyl Vovk.
"The General Staff insisted on the acquisition of the new Dana M2. According to them, compared to the available analogues, the firing range has been increased by almost one and a half times, the unit is equipped with an automatic loading system and the rate of fire has become much higher. In addition, new Dana M2 are more mobile and has increased ammunition of 40 shots. It is important that the crew is protected by an armoured cabin, and the speed of the installation - up to 80 km / h," Vovk said.
According to the General Mayor, after conduction of numerous inspections and tests, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Minister of Defense and even the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence have approved the contract of Ukrspetsexport for the supply of 26 Dana M2 artillery systems to Ukraine due to the insufficient funds. However, in early November, when the Ukrainian and Czech sides started the direct implementation of the international agreement and got to the payment stage of the contract, and a lot of misinformation had been spread around this operation, the expert said.
"In particular, the Ukrainian army has been accused of buying the weapons that have already been in use and have been long written off by the Czech military. However, only the newest, most advanced modification of the original Czech 152 mm self-propelled howitzer will be delivered to Ukraine. The information about the short-range and poor manoeuvre fire or inability to impress targets far behind the front lines is also not true. In practice, in addition to the fact that the firing range is quite large, up to 26 km, the experience of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict confirms the practical effectiveness of the self-propelled howitzers of this type. Dana M2 does not meet the NATO criteria regarding the calibre. Instead of 155mm calibre of NATO standards, it has 152mm calibre, which is actually an advantage for Ukraine, as our country is not quite advanced in the production of domestic 155 mm shells. However, Ukraine is developing its own wheeled ACS - 2C22 "Bogdan" under NATO calibre ", - adds Vovk.
In addition, according to Vovk, recently one of the Ukrainian deputies addressed the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding the situation with "DANA 2M", who also sees the alleged commission of crimes under Art. Art. 110, 255, 364 and 191 of the Criminal code of Ukraine by the Ministry of Defense and other state bodies (encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine; creation of the criminal organization; abuse of office; plunder of the state property). As a result, on November 17, the Security Service of Ukraine starts an investigation into criminal proceedings № 22020000000000266 under Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason) against the officials of the Ministry of Defense and "Ukrspetsexport" whose “action during the aggression of the Russian Federation were committed intentionally in order to damage the Ukrainian defence capabilities by purchasing obsolete weapons self-propelled Dana M2 from the Chech Republic by inflated prices, which also hinders the development of Ukrainian defence industry."
“Why there is such selectivity? Where is the leader of the National Security and Defense Council, the profile committee of the Verkhovna Rada, who also acted in the described direction? I can see somewhere far away from the possibility of a "rollback", ie embezzlement of budget funds, but kill me, I do not see even a small sign of treason” - he expert sums up.In order to remind, the state defense order (SDO) by which delivery for the Ukrainian military of 66 units of the specified artillery systems is provided, was approved in March, 2020.