Call from the front line: the US launched a "hotline

According to the American officer, Ukrainian soldiers use Western military equipment in unexpected ways, which makes it possible to learn more about the possibilities of certain types of weapons in battle. The United States servicemen have created encrypted chats for contact with the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the battlefield. In this way, US experts can provide the Armed Forces with advice on Western weapons maintenance, the Associated Press writes.

It is reported that this initiative is a continuation of the expanding US military support. With the receipt of new types of weapons to Ukraine, the number of issues regarding its service by the Ukrainian military is increasing. "Since neither the US nor other NATO countries will send troops to the country to provide practical assistance - because of fear of being involved in direct conflict with Russia, they turned to virtual chats," the source said.

The staff of consultants plan to expand from 50 to 150 people in the near future. Since the fall of last year, the number of encrypted chat lines has increased more than three times. The team is expected to increase as the more complex types of technology will be increased. Hotline staff told reporters that the Armed Forces Soldiers often raise the issue of repairing howitzers.

"In many cases, we are called straight from the front line, and you are trying to help eliminate problems as far as possible," one of the consultants said. US military personnel also say that the Armed Forces use Western equipment to the verge of its capabilities. "They use these systems in ways we did not expect. We actually learn from them, seeing how much these weapons can withstand these systems and where the limit," said one of the officers to reporters.

According to members of the hotline team, the Armed Forces soldiers are reluctant to disable the equipment for repair abroad, preferring to eliminate problems on their own. Recall that according to Bloomberg, from January to November 2022, Western allies provided more than 4,000 weapons to Ukraine, including aviation, tanks and artillery. The Armed Forces received all kinds of weapons except long -range missiles like ATACMS.

The US, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Canada were the largest donors of the Armed Forces. Focus also wrote that according to an expert on tanks from Janes's defensive company, receiving Ukraine LOOPARD 2, Challenger 2 and M1A2 Abrams can create logistics difficulties for the Armed Forces. The Ukrainian military will use several different types of equipment, and they will have to face the necessary spare parts.