Ukrainian repair crew battle metal fatigue against ageing hardware

Ukrainian serviceman repairing military vehicles that operate on Ukraines northern border with Russia say that the equipment is old and it is unreal for it not to break. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukraines military fought back with the equipment it had on hand: Sovietera aircraft, tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery, and a scattering of Westernsupplied weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles. Ukraine has been seeking hundreds of modern tanks to form what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called a fist of freedom that could give its troops the firepower to break Russian defensive lines and reclaim occupied territory in the south and east. The unit has servicemen that underwent training abroad and is ready to work with foreignmade equipment, said Serhii Naiev, Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zelenskiy said in November that Ukraine s defensive constructions needed to be boosted and accelerated in