Opening the parliamentary hearings, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov claimed the hearings are held in the time of harsh and cynical aggression against our country carried out by the ruling regime of the Russian Federation. Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea still continues. Terrorist groups, Russian mercenaries, and military men are conducting a war against Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

Oleksandr Turchynov claimed "it is no secret that Russian troops continue concentrating at northern and eastern borders and are ready to invade our territory. All attempts of President Putin to assure the global community are, unfortunately, a lie. There are also attempts to destabilize situation in many regions of the south and east of our country, such as Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv Oblasts".    

The Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked all patriots of Ukraine and representatives of law-enforcement agencies who have the situation under control, and block the terrorist threat from spreading through the whole territory of our country.   

Oleksandr Turchynov claimed the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, and other law-enforcement agencies continue offensives against terrorists and criminals, and assured that their actions will completely free the East of our country.

On behalf of participants of the hearings, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada expressed condolences to families and friends of the military men who lost their lives so that Ukraine could remain free and united.

Participants of the hearings commemorated memory of the deceased heroes with a minute of silence.

Oleksandr Turchynov addressed all participants of the hearings to have a frank expert conversation "about ways of protecting our country, making army powerful and invincible, and giving an adequate answer to all challenges Ukraine faces today".    

Acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine Ivan Rusnak made a speech. He outlined basic external threats Ukraine is facing: encroachment on national sovereignty, interference into internal affairs, incompletion of contract and legal formalization and insufficient management of borders with the Russian Federation, increasing militarization of states in the region, etc.      

In his words, analysis of external threats allows to make a conclusion that everything happening around Ukraine will be connected with a long-lasting Russian military political campaign which is conducted in ways of a so-called hybrid war.

"External threats are intensified with a presence of internal challenges to the national security of Ukraine, particularly, imbalance and incompletion of system reforms, including those in the security sphere, decrease in defence capacity of the country, in combat efficiency of the Armed Forces and other military units, unsatisfactory condition of funding, repair, modernization, and procurement of weapons and military equipment, complicated economic situation", claimed the government official.      

I.Rusnak claimed the state of defence capacity of Ukraine does not fully ensure neutralization of the present threats and challenges. The main reasons for this are: 

expenditure restraint for developing defence;

delay in adopting strategic decisions in the defence sphere;

gradual change of the country's priorities in ensuring national security, and giving preference to developing internal security forces.  

"Lack of proper attention to the problem of ensuring national sovereignty of Ukraine and its defence capability has become one of factors that provoked Russian aggression against Ukraine and occupation of a part of Ukraine's territory", stressed the official.   

Acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine informed that "tremendous job for expanding the system of managing the armed forces and for creating a vertical of managing the anti-terrorist operation has been carried out over the last four months. Regulatory and legal framework of the state on determining the role and place of security and defence sector subjects, and deployment of industrial production of individual protection means for military men have been improved. The Armed Forces have been brought into full alert. The National Guard of Ukraine has been created on the basis of internal forces".   

In his words, there have been two stages of partial mobilization, 28 military units of territorial defence were established, and 23 Oblast military commissariats were formed.  

I.Rusnak stressed it is important that the Verkhovna Rada supports the Ministry of Defence in settling several issues on ensuring defence capacity of the armed forces. 

Another problem lies in weapons and military equipment which were produced in 80s and 90s and are now outdated.   

I.Rusnak outlined other problems. He stressed that the security and defence sector requires significant changes, and informed about the initiated complex review of the security and defence sector, according to the Decree of the President of Ukraine, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.     

The official claims it is primary to change the paradigm of the national security and defence strategy.   

The speaker suggested forming operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and other military units. In his words, it is urgent to form professional rapid reaction forces and forces of threats manageability.

I.Rusnak claims the Ministry of Defence envisions the system of the country's military defence on the basis of two components: professional and mobilizational.

Chair of the Subcommittee of the Committee on National Security and Defence Oleksandr Kuzmuk made a speech. He said that when preparing to these hearings, the Committee decided to concentrate on forming proposals and recommendations to the Head of State, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Government, as well as other institutions regarding intensifying defence capacity of our country. 

O.Kuzmuk emphasized the need to settle current problems which are: the problems in organization and assistance to the anti-terrorist operation.  

O.Kuzmuk informed about his bill which stipulates transferring functions of managing the anti-terrorist operation to the military leadership.

People's deputy claimed "a detailed evaluation of the present military and political situation and a tendency of its development should become the basis for forming foundations of our country's military policy".

O.Kuzmuk suggested accelerating examination of the security and defense sector, determined by the Presidential Decree.

The people’s deputy also proposes to adopt the programme for development of the defense and security sector, as well as the programme for development of its components, including the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and grant them the status of national proggrammes.

Another speaker of the specializing committee – the First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on National Defence and Security Anatolii Kinakh acknowledged that the potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not correspond to the challenges of the time.

The speaker suggested considering the necessity to establish a standing state commission on the military and industrial complex of the state in recommendations of the hearings in order to organize and coordinate actions of all executive authorities.

The people’s deputy noted that it is important to form a single sci-tech industrial and economic policy and introduce it in practice, in order to solve complicated systemic and crisis problems.

Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentyn Nalyvaichenko also took the floor. He informed about some conclusions of the Security Service on matters of defense capacity. According to him, “for the past 4 years defense capacity of the state was almost destroyed due to the following factors: firstly – corruption; secondly – lack of the single established and long-lasting mandatory military doctrine; thirdly – lack of counteraction to foreign security services.”

V.Nalyvaichenko acknowledged that there is no Military doctrine, which threatens national security and, thus, the defense capacity.

One more reason that explains such state of affairs, is absence of military counterintelligence during the past four years, said V.Nalyvaichenko.

V.Nalyvaichenko stressed the necessity “of increasing the role of military counterintelligence and counteraction to military absentees, and especially former leaders of the Defence Ministry, the Internal Affairs Ministry and the Security Service.”

Adviser to the President Volodymyr Horbulin noted that the very topic of parliamentary hearings transfers them into the context of geopolitics. “And, as is known, geopolitics is determined by foreign policy, international relations and geographical location. So, we were unlucky to find ourselves in-between the interests of Russia and the West,” said V.Horbulin.

Adviser to the President of Ukraine upheld some of the proposals of the speakers pertaining to the need “to establish a new strategy of national security that should be elaborated by the entire scientific potential of the country.”

V.Horbulin upheld also the idea of establishing the single military doctrine.

Deputy Finance Minister Volodymyr Matviichuk reported that the issue of securing financing of country’s defense capacity is under a special control of the Finance Ministry.

Volodymyr Matviichuk noted also that the Government has referred the bill on amendments to the State Budget for 2014 to the Verkhovna Rada.

Deputy Minister of Social Policy Valerii Yaroshenko informed about the issue of social protection of citizens enrolled in military service during mobilization.

Valerii Yaroshenko reported that the Ministry works on the important issue of social protection of the military.

Deputy Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies Kostiantyn Kononenko, First Deputy Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Kryvenko, the people’s deputy of the third and fourth convocations Heorhii Kriuchkov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Olena Pidhrushna, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on National Defense and Security Serhii Hrynevetskyi, Chair of the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine Volodymyr Zvieriev, the people’s deputy Oleh Liashko, President of “Novi Tradytsii” (“New Traditions”) Fund Serhii Bondarchuk, First Deputy Chair of the State Agency of Science, Innovations and Informatization Borys Hryniov, Chair of Coordination Council of Defense and Industrial Complex Trade Unions Yarema Zhuhaievych, Chair of Administration of State Special Transport Service Mykola Malkov, Chair of the Ukraine’s Defence Promotion Society Viktor Timchenko, the people’s deputy Vitalii Nemilostivyi, Director of the analytical NGO “Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies” Valentyn Badrak, constructor general of Zaporizhzhia Machine-Building Design Bureau Progress State Enterprise Ihor Kravchenko, the people’s deputy Yurii Syrotiuk and Chair of the Committee on National Defence and Security Volodymyr Lytvyn took the floor during the meeting.     

Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov disagreed with the idea that “we are being opposed by a group of drug addicts in the East.” He said that “we are being opposed by one of the biggest armies in the world. This is an extremely serious challenge to our country.”

At the same time, Oleksandr Turchynov agreed that the Budapest Memorandum, in fact, did not guarantee us anything. “We should rely only on ourselves,” he added.

Oleksandr Turchynov noted that the task is understandable – we should treat the defense and industrial complex with extreme seriousness.

At this point, parliamentary hearings devoted to the discussion of Ukraine’s defense capacity in the XXI century, as well as challenges and ways to overcome them, came to an end.