Share of Ukrainian army's private arms suppliers grows to 55% in 2017

"In 2014, [state-run] Ukroboronprom accounted for 60% and more [with the share of private companies being 40%], it already has 45% this year [leaving the remaining 55% for the private sector]. It means that the private sector's share has increased," Deputy Director of the ministry's strategic planning and international cooperation department Vladyslav Shostak said at hearings at the parliament's National Security and Defense Committee.

The total sum of the country's state defense order was UAH 8 billion, or US$297 million, in 2017, he said.

Read alsoGroysman: Ukraine's state budget-2018 provides for UAH 165 bln for defense"Next year about UAH 10 billion [some US$335 million] will be earmarked for us to buy weapons," he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukroboronprom's, Ukraine's state manufacturer of military hardware, said that the company accounted for 32.5% of the 2016 state order, which was UAH 13.5 billion (US$502 million).

Ukraine's Cabinet in the middle of February 2017 approved a long-term state defense order for 2017-2019. The three-year planning of the defense order is part of the general medium-term budget planning by the government, Ukraine's Ministry for Economic Development and Trade said.

At the same time, details of defense plans are considered to be classified information and shall not be made public.