Ukraine's MoD alerts EU of critical artillery shells shortage, Bloomberg uncovers details
Rustem Umerov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine has warned its allies that it is facing a critical shortage of artillery shells as Russia deploys three times more firepower on the front lines every day, reports Bloomberg.
This week, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov wrote to his colleagues in the European Union, describing the significant numerical advantage Ukrainian forces face in trying to repel new Russian attacks. He stated that Ukraine cannot produce more than 2,000 shells per day along the 1,500-kilometer front line, which is less than a third of the ammunition used by Russia.
Weapon shortage
The weapon shortage in Ukraine is growing every day, added Umerov, calling on EU allies to do more to fulfill their commitment to supply one million artillery shells.
He stated that Ukraine needs to at least match the firepower of its enemy.
"The side with the most ammunition to fight usually wins," said Umerov, according to the document.
How many shells Ukraine needs per month
On Wednesday, the EU acknowledged that it would deliver barely half of the promised shells by March, deciding to supply almost 600,000 more by the end of the year.
According to the document, Ukraine needs 200,000 155mm shells per month. According to Estonia's estimates, Russia could get almost twice as many shells, with around a million coming from North Korea.
One million shells for Ukraine
In March 2023, EU countries agreed to supply Ukraine with one million shells. The delivery was initially intended to be completed by the end of 2023, and then by March 2024. However, the transfer within the set deadline will not happen as there is a lack of production capacity.
As previously noted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, if Kyiv didn't receive the required number of artillery ammunition from one source, it would work to ensure supplies from other sources.
According to Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet, the delivery of the promised one million shells is delayed until the end of 2024.
