You're reading: Ukrainian army beefed up to one fourth of million servicemen in 2015 – Defense Minister Poltorak

The numerical strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been increased to 250,000 of personnel last year, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said.

“We have increased the numerical strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 250,000, have repaired 34,000 and have bought 3,500 pieces of military hardware, have changed the personnel training system, the control and communications system and have conducted a partial mobilization last year. In particular, these measures enabled to restrain the Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine,” Poltorak said at a meeting with Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine Hermine Poppeller in Kyiv on Jan. 12.

Chiefs of several structural departments of the defense agency also participated in the meeting on the Ukrainian side, attache for defense affairs at the Austrian embassy Erich Simburger accompanied Poppeller, the Defense Ministry press service reported.

The sides discussed the current situation in Ukraine on the whole and in the area of the military operation in Donbas, as well as the activity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

If this was the restoration of the combat capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, formation of new units and detachments in 2015, this is the conducting of cardinal reforms in the Ukrainian army in 2016, Poltorak said. “There are some problems, but we understand them and are ready to solve [them], as we want some changes. It is important so that the conducted reforms will be active and irreversible,” he said.

In this regard, the minister suggested holding a meeting with the head of the Austrian defense agency soon. “The cooperation between our defense agencies is very interesting and important in terms of sharing the experience and establishing the necessary dialogue,” Poltorak said.