Russia has used up a lot of bullets and tanks during the war with Ukraine. Photo/Reuters
MOSCOW – Russia may be able to increase artillery production in the next few years to around 2 million shells per year. Moscow could increase that production by about twice as much as previous estimates by Western countries.
“But Russia is still far from meeting the needs of Moscow’s war in Ukraine,” said a Western official, quoted by Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, estimated Russia fired between 10 million and 11 million rounds last year in Ukraine. Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.
“That’s the difficulty they’re facing,” the official told a small group of journalists.
“If you put out 10 million rounds last year and you’re in the middle of the fight and you can only make 1 to 2 million rounds a year, I don’t think that’s a strong position.”
Other Russian investments in the defense sector also allow Moscow to produce nearly 200 tanks per year, double previous Western estimates. But it also, the official said, is far from what is needed after suffering heavy losses in Ukraine.
“When you lose 2,000 tanks, you have a decade before you start,” the official said. He added that Russia had also lost 4,000 armored fighting vehicles, more than 100 aircraft and suffered 270,000 casualties in the conflict, including both troops killed and wounded.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
2023-09-09 11:42:45
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