As of December 26, 2020, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has fulfilled the state defense order by 99.5%, Defense Minister Andriy Taran said.

"State contracts have been concluded in the amount of UAH 21.898 billion of the total allocated UAH 22.005 billion. The volume of procurements of new and modernized weapons, military equipment and special-purpose items has been increased. Despite the restrictions on the work of enterprises of the military-industrial complex related to coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, it was possible to ensure the supply of weapons and military equipment at the level of 2019, and in some areas [provision of ammunition, armored vehicles, digital communications] even exceeded the volumes of the previous year, " the press service of the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

According to him, under the state defense order, the troops, in particular, have received 10,500 pieces of equipment, and 3.2 million pieces of ammunition. The manufacture and delivery of weapons and military equipment were paid in advance in 2021 in the amount of UAH 6.5 billion.

"The main resource next year should be planned for the purchase of new weapons, and not for the repair of obsolete samples. We should change the vicious practice when the state defense order and the formation of procurements are used only as a way to meet the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We must create conditions and use the state defense order as a tool strategic development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Taran said.

To this end, the approaches to the distribution and use of funds for the purchase of new (modernized) weapons and military equipment will be revised.

Taran said that for the first time in the history of the Defense Ministry, a regulatory framework has been created and direct international agreements on the purchase and import of weapons and military equipment, as well as components for them that are not produced in Ukraine, have been practically implemented.

In particular, contracts have been signed with Turkish companies for the purchase of unmanned aerial systems and the construction of corvette-class ships with the transfer of appropriate technologies and a further increase in shipbuilding in Ukraine.

Also, the necessary preparatory work was carried out to conclude a contract for ordering three AN-178 aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will be signed in the near future.