Ukraine allocates 7.5 mln USD for safety of military bases

The Ukrainian government said on Wednesday it has allocated a total of 7.5 million U.S. dollars from the reserve fund of the state budget for boosting the safety of the country's military bases.

The money will be used to improve the system of protection and defense at eleven military units across the country, said a decree published on the government website.

In particular, the funding will enable to provide proper storage facilities for keeping ammunition and to purchase new firefighting equipment for the military bases, it said.

The government decision came in the wake of the recent explosions at a military base in eastern Kharkov region.

On March 23, a series of blasts ripped through the military base near the town of Balakleya, where about 138,000 tons of ammunition were stored, leading to a massive fire and the subsequent detonation of the ammunition.

The State Security Service of Ukraine suspects that the explosions, which have caused the economic damage of about 1 billion dollars, were caused by an attack on the military base from an unmanned aerial vehicle. Endit