The West has lost the race to supply artillery shells, and Ukraine is unlikely to be able to tip the balance on the battlefield. The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports this.
It is noted that Kiev is unlikely to receive shells from Western partners in the near future – Europe will not be able to produce the promised million by March next year, and the United States will not reach the planned production volume before 2025.
“As the weather worsens and front lines are frozen, Ukraine is struggling to secure enough artillery shells to turn the tide. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that major supplies of 155mm ammunition had stopped following the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas. At the same time, the European Union admitted that the goal of delivering a million shells to Kyiv by March next year will not be achieved. Artillery ammunition is one of Ukraine’s main demands as it negotiates support with Western allies. The United States plans to increase production of 155-mm artillery shells to 100 thousand per month, but this goal is not expected to be achieved until 2025,” the article says.
The pace at which the West is ramping up artillery production means Kyiv is “unlikely to tip the scales on the battlefield.” Without shells, it will neither be able to hold back Russia’s advance nor attempt to advance in the future, the publication notes.
“With stocks of all kinds dwindling and taking a long time to replace, this does create a point of vulnerability in the West that should be of concern to policymakers,” said the CEO of strategic intelligence company Sibylline Justin Crump.
According to Western intelligence, the troops of the Kyiv regime fire approximately 6 thousand 155-mm shells per day, while Russia produces about 20 thousand – the same amount as the European defense industry produces in a month.
As reported EADailyUkrainian troops are experiencing a shortage of 155 mm artillery shells due to the situation in the Middle East, said Vladimir Zelensky in an interview with a group of journalists.
“Today we have problems with 155 mm artillery shells. In the Middle East, what do you think they started buying first? [Артиллерийские снаряды] caliber 155 mm. Our reserves have decreased,” AFP quoted him as saying.
According to Zelensky, warehouses are now empty all over the world, and the current volumes of supplies from Western partners are not enough to meet the needs of Kyiv. However, he welcomed US efforts to increase production of this type of ammunition.
2023-11-26 14:59:00
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