Page 18 - UKRRptSept23

training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
Germany's Rheinmetall to deliver Luna drone system to Ukraine. Rheinmetall, Germany's automotive and arms manufacturer, will deliver a Luna New Generation drone system to Ukraine by the end of 2023, Bild am Sonntag reported on Aug. 12, citing company sources.
The US plans to increase its production of ammunition to support Ukraine. The intensity of hostilities requires accelerated weapon production, including standard NATO artillery shells, the WP writes. It is planned to double their output soon. The publication notes that the war in Ukraine has resulted in a boon for American defense firms, who are rapidly expanding production capacity. Experts say that as the US invests in increasing the production of ammunition, drones, air defense missiles, and other weapons that Ukraine needs, it must also ensure that it can maintain expanded capabilities as requirements evolve. Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed a NATO-wide ammunition crisis, highlighting critical vulnerabilities in modern warfare. Currently, the US has concentrated on producing 155-mm artillery shells, which have proved critical for Ukraine during the ongoing counteroffensive. The US Defense companies are working as fast as possible.
BAE Systems to produce L119 howitzers in Ukraine. The UK's largest arms company, BAE Systems, has opened an office in Ukraine to launch weapons production in partnership with domestic manufacturers, the Ministry of Strategic Industries reported on August 31.
Ukrainian-made weapon has proven 700 km range. A new Ukrainian-made long-range weapon successfully reached a target 700 kilometers away, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on August 31.
2.3 Polls & Sociology
Zelenskiy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests. In one poll, 77.6% of surveyed Ukrainians said Zelenskiy was responsible for government corruption. A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, in cooperation with the US Agency for International Development project "Support of Leader Organizations in Combating Corruption in Ukraine," found that: "Second only to the war, corruption is perceived as the most serious problem in Ukraine by 89% of citizens.
83% of Ukrainians don’t think Ukraine can defeat Russia if it did not manage to liberate Crimea from Russian military occupation, according to the results of the poll, conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology at the request of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine that was released on August 29.
Four% of respondents believe that the return of the territories to the borders before February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, would be enough to declare victory over Russia. Another 3.7% consider victory might be achieved without the return of Crimea, and 1.5% said it might be achieved without the return of the Russian-occupied part of Donbas.
Less than 2% would be satisfied with the option of Ukraine declaring victory and simply keeping the territories that are not currently occupied by Russia.
18 UKRAINE Country Report September 2023 www.intellinews.com