The EU exhausts its arms reserves and runs out of “critical” defense capabilities

The war in Ukraine is two weeks away from completing ten months, since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of the neighboring country on February 24. Since then the European Union has turned to the government of Volodimir Zelensky by sending millions of euros worth of weapons and military equipment, and now the bloc’s supplies are decimated. “This war has been a brutal awakening for many of us,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday, after adding that “our military reserves have been quickly depleted due to years of insufficient investment.” And this despite the fact that, according to the annual report of the European Defense Agency, last year the EU made record military spending with a total investment of 214,000 million euros, 6% more than in 2020.

But a long war wears down anyone. And it allows to analyze the strengths and weaknesses. After ten months of continuous financial and military support for kyiv, the EU is beginning to tremble. “We realize that we lack critical defense capabilities. We don’t have what we need to defend against a higher level of threats,” lamented Borrell. Faced with the danger that the situation could serve as an incentive for invading agents, the head of European diplomacy recalled the importance of increasing defense spending and urged the countries of the bloc to continue supporting Zelenski. “We must cooperate more, the European armies have to cooperate more with each other. We have to continue supporting Ukraine. We have to continue to address present needs and start preparing for the future,” Borrell encouraged.

Meanwhile the war continues its course. The continuous attacks on critical infrastructure in different parts of the country plunge citizens into darkness. 50% of the Sumy region, for example, is without power. “The situation with the power supply is difficult. The established limits cover 30 to 50% of the users’ needs. Half of the region is permanently without electricity,” explained Dmitro Zhivitskii, the territory’s governor.

The situation is complicated in almost the entire country. According to grid operator Ukrenergo, while work to repair damaged power infrastructure continues, the government has imposed emergency power cuts. “As of 11:00 a.m., due to the damage caused by missile attacks to power plants and the high-voltage grid, the system has a significant shortage of electricity,” the Ukrenergo statement said. In kyiv, its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned of an “apocalypse” scenario for the capital this winter if shelling continues against these targets. Although, in his opinion, there is no need to evacuate citizens at the moment, he maintains that they should be ready for it.

Retaliation

And the situation does not seem to improve. Putin assured this Thursday that his country will continue to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructures. “Yes, we do, but who started it?” launched the Kremlin chief after pointing out that this type of offensive is a retaliation for the explosion that affected the Crimean bridge, as well as for the recent attacks on Russian soil.

But for Moscow the solution is clear. As the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, stated today, the invasion could “end tomorrow” if there was a “political will” on the part of kyiv. Although despite repeated statements that Putin is committed to ending the war, his behavior shows that “he is not really interested in peace,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleba, who advanced that Russia “is it is preparing for new battles and offensive operations, not for negotiations. Nothing speaks in favor of Moscow being ready to speak.”

On the other hand, the Kremlin warned this Thursday that there is a “risk” that the Ukrainian Army attacks Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The statement comes on the same day that the Russian Black Sea fleet, deployed in Sevastopol , shot down a drone shortly after registering a “powerful explosion” in the center of the city, which could correspond to the fall of a missile, according to the TASS news agency.