Ukraine risks running out of artillery ammunition in a month

Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery in Donetsk (Photo: Reuters).

In an article for The Times , British journalist Max Hastings expressed concern that the Ukrainian army's artillery ammunition stocks could run out by the end of February this year.

According to Mr. Hastings, this could happen if Republicans in the US Congress continue to block the allocation of military aid to Ukraine.

The British journalist said that Ukrainian leaders are confused by the lack of clarity about what to do next in the absence of support from the US. He stressed that without outside military support, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not have a reliable strategy.

Mr. Hastings noted that most Western European countries want to end the crisis in Ukraine on any terms because they are tired of supporting Kiev and they also need to solve internal problems.

According to some sources, the Ukrainian military is trying to make up for its “thirst for artillery shells” by using first-person view (FPV) drones. However, while drones have some advantages over artillery in terms of accuracy and versatility, they cannot completely replace artillery shells due to their lower firepower.

The conflict in Ukraine is becoming a war of attrition, and Russia is gaining a huge advantage by maintaining superior military capabilities over its opponents, especially artillery.

The situation is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukrainian soldiers as they are overwhelmed by Russia in both manpower and weapons potential.

Lack of ammunition not only makes it difficult for Ukraine to organize another counterattack in the future, but also puts Kiev at risk of losing more territory to Russia as Moscow is intensifying its attacks along the entire front.

Last summer, Ukraine was firing up to 7,000 shells a day, compared to 5,000 from Russia. But now those numbers appear to have changed dramatically.

Ukraine fires only 2,000 shells per day and Russia fires nearly 10,000. Russia is still maintaining and increasing its weapons production capacity, but Ukraine is showing clear signs of "running out of steam".

Ukraine is facing an uncertain situation as aid proposals from the US and the European Union (EU) have yet to be approved due to internal disagreements.

Pentagon officials say that without more aid, Washington cannot arm Kiev at the same level and speed as it has done since the early days of the war.

US and Ukrainian officials warn that the impact of the aid drying up is dire. Some say Ukraine will lose without continued support.

In a difficult context, Ukraine is also trying to increase artillery shell production to reduce dependence on the West, but in terms of capacity and power, Russia has a clear advantage.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ukraine-co-nguy-co-het-dan-phao-trong-mot-thang-toi-20240128153707573.htm