'All the warehouses are empty' - Ukraine's PM declares deficit of ammunition in the world
Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The deficit of ammunition is currently being felt not only in Ukraine but also worldwide. The level of this shortage is "huge," as the warehouses are empty, says Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.
"We have a huge deficit of ammunition not just in Ukraine but all over the world," he said.
According to the Prime Minister, there is an understanding in Ukraine that it is necessary to produce ammunition.
"Because all around the world it’s finished, it’s depleted. All the warehouses are empty," the head of the government noted.
At the same time, Shmyhal pointed out another aspect: the government is drawing conclusions from the production of drones, which has grown from "a few dozen" last year to "dozens of thousands" this year.
However, with reference to the words of one of the officials, Ukraine cannot quickly transform its ammunition production, partly due to the global "shortage of gunpowder."
Ammunition for Ukraine
At the end of winter, it became known that Ukrainian forces were facing a shortage of artillery shells. Therefore, in early May, the EU Council approved a decision to provide assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 1 billion euros for joint purchases of ammunition and missiles, with plans to deliver a million shells to Ukraine. At the end of August, it was reported that the supply of ammunition for Ukraine under the EU project was progressing slowly, with Ukraine receiving less than 250,000 shells out of the promised million.
Meanwhile, in June 2023, Ukraine produced more mortar and artillery shells than in the entire previous year. At the beginning of October, it was revealed that the company Rheinmetall received another order for artillery shells under a framework agreement with the Bundeswehr, although the customer is the German government, and all ammunition is intended for Ukraine.
