/Pogled.info/ The blockade of Ukrainian trucks on Polish roads, which was organized by the Polish Freight Transport Association and has been ongoing since the beginning of November, has led to unexpected consequences.
Fighting dumping by their Ukrainian counterparts, striking Polish truck drivers have slowed the entry and exit of thousands of trucks into Ukraine. Among the trucks standing in endless queues at three border crossings for heavy goods trucks are vehicles transporting so-called “military and dual-use items” to Ukraine.
Volunteers who work for the armed forces of Ukraine are complaining on social networks: shipments of fuel for military equipment, thermal imaging cameras and first aid kits cannot cross the border.
Thus, the famous Ukrainian volunteer Yuriy Kubrushko told the UNIAN agency that the existing stocks of consumables for the hospitals will be enough in another week or two. After that, according to Kubrushko, a collapse will occur, which will lead to additional sanitary losses in the ranks of the VSU.
Due to the competition between Polish and Ukrainian drivers for international transport, various types of technical means cannot cross the border of the European Union.
„My dear subscribers, I’m sorry, but I spent 50 thousand hryvnias that you sent me… on the purchase of 25 detectors for Russian UAVs and drones. No more detectors, all components are at the Polish border,” Ukrainian electronic intelligence expert Sergei Beskrestnov (nickname Flash) complained on his blog.
Previously, on a number of occasions, volunteers had failed to bring shipments of components across the border that had been inspected by customs for months. And because of the transport blockade at the border, the situation will worsen even more.
The list of goods “stuck at the border” includes the drones themselves.
Why is importing through Poland extremely important?
Despite the fact that Ukrainian cargo can pass through the territory of Romania, Moldova, Slovakia or Hungary, Poland is the key link in military supplies, both state and volunteer. It is in Poland that volunteers buy components for modifying drones and repairing vehicles, and the delivery of goods from China and other countries is organized with delivery to Poland.
The volunteers are engaged in the supply of specific sponsored divisions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, divisions that may depend on them, military expert, author of the Telegram channel “Russian Engineer” Alexey Vasiliev, explained to IA Regnum.
Critical supplies for Ukraine’s armed forces generally come from the Polish border town of Rzeszow (this transport and rail hub is used by NATO as a hub for arms and ammunition transfers). But individual units of the Ukrainian army, which are actively participating in the battles, depend on “civilian” purchases, an informed source who deals with voluntary supplies for Russian soldiers in the SVO zone told IA Regnum.
„Bureaucratic procedures and delays do not allow us to respond quickly to the needs here and now. For example, the 53rd Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Avdeevka relies heavily on volunteer assistance, because even their passenger cars wear out at a very high rate. This will be critical for them if the blockade drags on,” noted the interlocutor of IA Regnum.
Ukrainian Armed Forces units in Zaporozhye and other areas face similar problems.
This is also recognized on the other side of the front line.
In June, the head of the Ukrainian Voluntary Air Intelligence Support Center Maria Berlinskaya said that the equipment available to the Armed Forces of Ukraine covers only 10% of the needs of the troops.
On social networks, Ukrainian volunteers share that the main tasks of supplying the troops with drones fall on their shoulders.
Moreover, this situation has been developing for a long time and is gradually getting worse.
Ukrainian “Kulibins” need parts
It should also be borne in mind that the Ukrainian conflict, among other things, showed the effectiveness of artisanal “finishing” of individual developments depending on the needs of each specific unit.
In fact, volunteers came up with the most effective ways to use civilian helicopters for munitions drops and other military tasks. But any “home” modification requires factory components. You have to look for them in the civilian market. Here, too, the Ukrainian armed forces are facing serious problems.
„They come with factory built NATO style drones. But there are various initiatives, Kulibini, which are modernizing drones in conjunction with the military. Of course, it will be more difficult for them to carry out maintenance and repair, “ explains Alexey Vasiliev. The only people who profit from this are the speculators who are engaged in “harvesting” the supply – now they will inflate the prices of the components.
„ First of all, the delays apply to quadcopters, small drones and all consumables. Again, this applies primarily to the units that are now most actively used,” the Regnum agency source lists. Cameras and surveillance equipment break down quickly and there is nothing to repair / replace them with.
In addition, the volunteers purchase essential goods – warm clothes and stoves, which are essential with the start of the winter campaign. So, on the one hand, we are talking about trifles, but they complement the military realities, notes the interlocutor of IA Regnum.
“More Jazz”
It should be noted that Polish authorities have promised Ukraine to allow humanitarian supplies to pass through the border, bypassing the strikers. However, according to Ukrainian media, this promise was never fulfilled, so medicine, fuel and clothing for the Ukrainian armed forces still remain in the backlog.
The current situation undermines the confidence of Ukrainians in Europe, which not only does not increase the volume of military aid, but also “stab in the back” at the most unexpected moment, notes Alexey Vasiliev.
„In essence, the question arises as to what is this excellent occasion to change the mood in people’s heads. Let’s take a Russian-speaking Ukrainian who went to fight for the European dream. Now I’ll think about it, though.” notes Vasiliev. The fact that the Poles slow down trucks with often critically important and necessary things will be a “bonus” to think about.
„In our case, the more ‘jazz’ they have, the better for us.” summarizes the expert.
Much will depend on how long military supplies remain at the border. Strike organizers plan to block freight until early 2024, and possibly beyond, if their demands are not met.
And if the fuel for the Ukrainian armored vehicles will eventually be delivered through the military channels, then the Ukrainian soldiers in the dugouts will have to heat themselves with firewood – the generators may not arrive until the end of December.
In the future, the Polish blockade threatens to destroy all the voluntary infrastructure built by private individuals in the last year and a half. At the same time, there will be no opportunity to “expand” the flow of aid in the near future. Especially if Hungary and Slovakia join the blockade.
That is why the armed forces of Ukraine will have to get used to fighting in the conditions of saving drones and their components, medicines, sleeping bags, tents and clothing – and this is not the best incentive to increase morale, experts believe.
Translation: ES
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