Lack of ammunition significantly hinders Russia’s offensive – ISW
The inability of the Russian military-industrial complex to solve the problem of ammunition shortage is likely to prevent the Russian army from conducting offensive operations in eastern Ukraine in 2023.
This is stated by American analysts of the Institute for the Study of War ISW.
Earlier, US and Ukrainian officials reported that the daily rate of Russian artillery fire has decreased by 75% in some areas, which is a historical minimum since the beginning of the full-scale war on February 24, 2022.
Now, the Russians have to use artillery shells sparingly due to reduced stockpiles, as well as reconsider their tactics.
Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Group, said that in the summer of 2022, Russian troops depleted their stocks of 122mm and 152mm artillery shells and other ammunition, assuming that a barrage of artillery fire would lead to faster ones.
According to Cherevaty, Russia now needs to transfer shells from the rear areas of Russia and buy additional ammunition from foreign countries to compensate for such a deficit, which leads to a decrease in fighting at the front.
In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are targeting Russian depots and preventing the occupiers from unloading ammunition near the front line, reducing the intensity of enemy artillery fire.
In Russia, sources also admit that a significant shortage of ammunition hinders the advance of Russian troops, so it is necessary to speed up production.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has been going on for 323 days.
