It is difficult for Ukraine's Forces to conduct effective counter-battery warfare, RF takes advantage of this - ISW
Photo: The Armed Forces lack artillery ammunition (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)
Russian occupying forces take advantage of the shortage of ammunition in Ukraine and the inability of the Defense Forces to conduct adequate counter-battery warfare. This allows Russian artillery to destroy Ukrainian settlements, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) refers to a report by the Ukrainian open-source intelligence organization Frontelligence Insight dated February 1. According to the report, from late 2022 to early 2023, Russian forces established stationary artillery positions for an extended period when a shortage of ammunition limited Ukrainian capabilities in counter-battery warfare.
Frontelligence indicates that in January 2024, occupiers began concentrating their artillery in a manner suggesting a repetition of ammunition shortages within Ukrainian forces, leading to a decrease in the effective counter-battery fire.
"Frontelligence stated that Ukrainian forces can sometimes strike Russian artillery but overall lack adequate ammunition for effective counterbattery fire. The lack of Ukrainian counterbattery fire allows Russian artillery to largely destroy settlements, making it nearly impossible for Ukrainian forces to defend the settlements," the report states.
Furthermore, Frontelligence notes that, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence, many Ukrainian drones lack the flight range to target numerous Russian artillery installations located 15 to 24 kilometers from the front line. As a result, both Western and Ukrainian officials have recently emphasized the army's need for artillery ammunition.
According to ISW, the shortage of artillery ammunition and delays in providing Western security assistance may create uncertainty in the operational plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, prompting them to use ammunition more extensively.
"This may force Ukrainian military to make tough decisions about prioritizing certain sectors of the front over sectors where limited territorial setbacks are least damaging," the ISW report states.
Production of Ukrainian weapons
On February 2nd, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During the meeting, among other things, the production of Ukrainian projectiles and drones was discussed.
Earlier, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine should become so strong and effective that Russia would receive a response to each of its strikes. To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen the production of domestic weapons.
Specialists have successfully developed a new version of long-range missiles called Neptune. Additionally, it has been announced that the serial production of drones, serving as a kind of analog to Iranian Shaheds, has commenced.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, noted that Ukraine will receive half of the promised one million artillery shells from the EU by March 2024.
