The Ukrainian armed forces are running out of artillery ammunition during the war. Expert Gustav Gressel warns of the consequences for Russia's offensive capability.
Kiev – The situation on the front in the Ukraine war is coming to a head. The Ukrainian armed forces' ammunition supplies are slowly but surely running out. According to US government reports, Ukrainian troops have already begun rationing their artillery ammunition to avoid being left high and dry. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is appealing for support from his Western partners. If this does not come soon, Ukraine would be faced with a major problem. The military expert Gustav Gressel explains to Merkur.de from IPPEN.MEDIA the dangers in the current situation.
Ammunition shortage in the Ukraine war: Military expert Gressel on the consequences for Putin's tactics
“The Ukrainians have a pretty clear fire inferiority to the Russians. The Russians are taking advantage of that,” Gressel said. President Vladimir Putin's armed forces could act much less cautiously on the front line due to their superiority in ammunition. “For example, you can see that they leave artillery in the positions and do not withdraw because they know that there will be no return fire.”
But the Russian armed forces could also benefit from the current situation in their advances along the front line. “The new Russian raiding tactics are also based on sending digging teams to dig trenches in which snipers and heavy weapons are then placed to hold down the Ukrainians,” the military expert explained. “The most effective thing to do against these people who are digging is to shoot at them with artillery shells; they turn the entire trench into a crater,” Gressel continued. But it is precisely these artillery shells that are currently in short supply in the Ukrainian ranks.
Gressel points out that the Ukrainian armed forces can only partially compensate for the lack of grenades with other types of weapons. “This is much more effective than using drones that might hit three enemies and then three more immediately follow. “But you can’t do that in times of ammunition shortage,” said the military expert about the use of artillery against the Russian shock troops.
Gustav Gressel
Gustav Gressel is a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relation (ECFR). His main topics include Russia, Eastern Europe and defense policy. Between 2006 and 2014, the Austrian worked as a consultant for international security policy and strategy in the Office for Security Policy of the Austrian Ministry of Defense.
US advisor warns of consequences – Ukraine is running out of ammunition on the front
The dramatic nature of the Ukrainian ammunition shortage was also highlighted by US President Joe Biden's national security advisor on Wednesday (February 14). “We are receiving more and more reports of Ukrainian soldiers running out of ammunition on the front lines, or even rationing them,” Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington. The lack of deliveries of ammunition, air defense systems and other equipment will weaken the Ukrainians' position, he emphasized.
With each passing day, the “cost of inaction” from the US increases for the Ukrainians, said Sullivan, referring to further US aid to Kiev blocked by Republicans in Congress. He called on Congress to vote “quickly” on a new aid package.
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyj: The situation at the front is “extremely complex and stressful”.
The new commander-in-chief of Kiev's armed forces in the Ukrainian war, Oleksandr Syrskyj, also described the situation in his army as “extremely complex and stressful” after a visit to the front. Syrskyj, who replaced the previous commander-in-chief Valery Zalushnyj just last week, continued to write on his Telegram account: “The Russian occupiers continue to i
ntensify their efforts and have a numerical advantage in terms of personnel.”
Ukraine could soon face a serious loss in the embattled city of Avdiivka. Russian troops have been trying to take the city for months with great losses. (fd with material from dpa)
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