Russia reached a production rate of two million projectiles annually in 122-mm and 152-mm calibres. However, there is an ammo shortage they cover through North Korea and other countries.
Russia started the two million ammo production per year
According to the intelligence officer, Russia fulfilled the defence order that was delivered to the defence and industrial complex for 2023.
They came up with 2 million munitions that they can produce in-house per year. This means 122-mm and 152-mm artillery ammunition, the deputy head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi said.
However, he added that in 2023, Russia had a shortage of shells. Initially, Moscow bought ammunition in Belarus, Iran and now in North Korea. The 500k ammo receipt from various countries allowed Russia to implement the MOD plan for conducting hostilities. However, further ammo expansion has some problems.
The first is production facilities. You need machines and the appropriate equipment. The second is trained staff. Specialists who are able to manufacture not only ammo, but also other high-precision weapons. The third is components are gunpowder and explosives. They should be produced either by Russia or bought in other countries, the officer said.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the occupiers will remain short of 500,000 ammo yearly. Regarding projectile production in Ukraine, everything depends on Western partners. More than a year has passed since the Ramstein meeting when the need to increase production by partner countries was discussed. The European defence industry is building up its capabilities, but gradually.
Sky News named Russia's advantages in the war against Ukraine
After almost two years of full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, both sides are running out of ammo. However, the Kremlin has an advantage that Kyiv does not have without Western aid — the ability to rearm.
The high-intensity conflict is depleting ammunition stocks in both Ukraine and Russia. The Ukrainian offensive in the summer did not lead to significant changes on the line of contact, and therefore both sides need more firepower to win. The publication claims that neither Kyiv nor Moscow have the ammunition to meet the needs of a war of attrition.
Ukraine cannot match Russia's stockpiles of weapons, but Western aid has focused on high-tech weapons that have given the Armed Forces the ability to strike military targets with high precision. However, for the most part, such samples of weapons were transferred from warehouses because no country can afford to have more weapons than they need, the journalists claim. In addition, such supplies increase the risks for the donor country. Therefore, aid to Ukraine was provided at a limited pace.
The Russian Federation, for its part, turned to North Korea for ammo and ballistic missiles, and to Iran for UAVs and other weapons. Also, the Kremlin continues to earn from the oil sale, which allows the defence industry to be transferred to military rails and quickly rearm.
The publication called the Ukrainian defence and industrial complex "young" and very vulnerable to Russian missile attacks. Also, Ukraine's GDP is several times smaller than Russia's. Globally, Kyiv cannot compete with the Kremlin in terms of purchasing power. What is left for Ukraine in this case? Without significant and long-term help from the West, Kyiv will be doomed, the publication believes.
However, there is a way out. The West has much greater potential in defence, which must be mobilised. Political support for Ukraine from the West is currently sufficient, but collective financial commitments must reinforce it.
