The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 25 February 2022 was marked by scenes, in Kyiv, of people carrying their belongings and fleeing to safer zones, deserted streets and the eerie silence of a city bracing for a siege brought back recollections of my visits to this historic and vibrant city about ten years ago when I was serving in the Ministry of Defence. I do not want to comment on the geopolitical aspects of the situation. It is sad to see how the lives of common people turn upside down and a city becomes witness to scenes of destruction and tremendous loss and sorrow.
Kyiv is a picturesque city with wooded hills alongside the Dnieper River and is steeped in a fascinating history. It was thought to have existed as early as the 6th century, initially as a Slavic settlement. According to a legendary account in a 12th-century chronicle Kyiv was founded by three brothers, Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv, leaders of the Polyanian tribe of the East Slavs. Each established his own settlement on a hill, and these settlements became the town of Kyiv, named after the eldest brother, Kyi; a small stream nearby was named after their sister Lybed.
The Christian influence is very visible and Kyiv has an almost magical quality about it with its verdant wooded hills and golden domes. Christianity came to Kyiv in the early 9th century and enhanced its significance as the cradle of Orthodox faith and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) had a major spiritual and intellectual influence. The cathedral of St. Sophia, parts of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the ruins of the Golden Gate remain today as witnesses to Kyiv at the height of its splendour. These religious monuments are not mere tourist attractions. It was apparent that these monuments convey a strong sense of piety and faith in the local people. Kyiv has layers of architectural styles and Soviet influences are evident across the city from the grand boulevard Khreshchatyk with communist area buildings to the prominent statue of ‘Motherland Ukraine’ which dominates the Kyiv skyline. The central square of Kyiv Maidan Nezalezhnosti which is simply called ‘maidan’ by the locals has been renamed a number of times. Its present name which means ‘Independence Square’ was given in 1991 when Ukraine got independence after breakup of Soviet Union. Maidan has been the site of several of protests but in normal times it used to have a festive air and was a popular meeting place.
After the break-up of USSR Ukraine entered the arms export market but initially it was unorganised and led to the perception of operating in a grey market. However, after 1996 there was an attempt to be professional in export dealings. At that time very little authentic information was available about their defence enterprises and their capability as reliable defence suppliers and service providers. The visits to their facilities were indeed educative and provided clarity especially in the aviation sector.
It was interesting to note that the country which had inherited the defence infrastructure from the erstwhile USSR, when it became independent in 1991, representing about 30 per cent of its defence industry and 40% of its scientific research, largely continued with the Soviet style model. The organizational structure was also on similar lines with exports conducted through trading agencies and separate design bureaus, manufacturing plants and repair plants.
As part of its industrial strategy the Soviet Union split design bureaus and military production between its different regions However, in the case of the aerospace sector the Antonov Design Bureau was established as the Soviet Union’s main designer of military turboprop transport aircraft (AN series of aeroplanes) and the manufacturing plants were also located in Ukraine. In addition, Motor Sich company, Zaporizhzhya, was one of the largest facilities of its kind during the Soviet era for turbofan, turboprop and rotary-wing turboshaft engines that powered Russian aircraft. Therefore, Ukraine retained its expertise in the aviation sector and the sale of aircraft and services for modernization and repair of in-service Russian origin aircraft occupied a leading position in their military exports. The other major exports were armoured vehicles and missiles. In fact, the Indian Air Force has also procured the R 27 missiles for its MiG aircraft from Artem company in Ukraine. However, we did get the impression that the facilities were underutilised and there was competition amongst the plants to get orders.
Ukraine also had facilities where stockpiles of equipment like tanks and armoured vehicles and aircraft were stored by the Soviet Union. We also saw large numbers of IL 76 aircraft parked in an airfield which must have been part of this stockpile. The highpoint of the visit was a tour of the AN 225 Mriya which was the largest aircraft in the world. The cargo hold stretched as far as a football field and could carry fifty cars. To get to the cockpit you had to climb a ladder and six crew members were needed to operate the controls. For the Ukrainians the destruction of Mriya in an attack on the Gostomel airfield near Kyiv where it was being repaired has been viewed as a hit on the symbol of the aviation capabilities of Ukraine. It has also saddened all those who had seen this engineering marvel.
Our discussions also provided interesting insights of how the country was evolving to establish its own separate identity. The different cultural influences have had their impact and there was an undercurrent of the older generation particularly in eastern region having an emotional link with Russia. The western region and the younger generation were keen to emerge from the shadow of ‘big brother’ Russia. The resolve shown by the people of Ukraine to protect their country even as their cities are under siege is perhaps a culmination of this sentiment.
Another interesting facet was that the people were quite fluent in English and able to have the discussions in English and not through interpreters. Maybe it was a conscious step to project themselves as progressive and open minded and willing to conduct business in the commonly accepted language. Due to the historical linkages with erstwhile USSR, there has been interdependency between Russia and Ukraine for their military hardware which continued even after 1991.However after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 the relations deteriorated and the military-technical co-operation with Russia was terminated. The focus of the Ukrainian defence industry has been to develop substitutes for the Russian components and parts and expand to other countries in Middle East and Asia. The ongoing conflict will no doubt have a major impact on the future trajectory of Ukraine’s defence industrial base