When in September the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny announced plans to ride a tank through the streets of Moscow, including the Arbat and Red Square, many considered the words of the Ukrainian commander-in-chief far from adequate.
According to RIA Novosti, on the air of the First Independent TV channel, the former head of the Donetsk region, Colonel-General Oleksandr Kikhtenko, criticized the state of the Ukrainian army and called the statements about its allegedly serious combat effectiveness unfounded. As an example of the poor state of affairs in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kikhtenko cited the use of military equipment of the Soviet model.
“Unfortunately, no serious work is being done in this direction. And to declare that we are already ready to be members of NATO, that we can drive our tanks along Red Square or the Arbat are unreasonable statements that I absolutely do not support”, the general emphasized.
Earlier, State Duma Deputy Dmitry Belik called Zaluzhny’s dreams of driving a tank around Moscow unrealizable and said that a military man can drive through the Russian capital either in a taxi as a particular person, or in a paddy wagon as a criminal.