Director of the Defence Procurement Agency Arsen Zhumadilov explained how armoured vehicles were contracted in 2026.
“As of March, when this [the lack of new contracts] was being reported, we had no new orders. But the absence of a new order does not mean the absence of an existing one. We have a three-year contract with one of the manufacturers, under which we will receive several hundred special armoured vehicles this year. We also contracted two more domestic manufacturers this year. So there will be deliveries under both existing and new contracts. Whether they will be delivered in the quantities needed – probably not,” Zhumadilov said at a press conference on 20 August.
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Asked why fewer armoured vehicles were contracted this year compared with previous years, the DIA director replied, “It is difficult to say.”
“You know that this requirement is determined by the General Staff and approved by the Ministry of Defence. The fact that these figures are small – well, probably yes. Why they are small is difficult to say. The situation is that too few were ordered, but I now understand that the concept is changing,” Zhumadilov added.
- In June, the manufacturer of the Bucephalus armoured personnel carrier said it would no longer be able to pay its employees’ salaries by autumn due to the lack of government orders.
- LB.ua spoke to other companies in the sector. They confirmed that the number of contracts was low.
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