For some time now, Russia has had to be creative in the Ukraine war and resort to outdated weapons.
But Moscow could soon run out of even those.
Moscow/Kiev – In addition to heavy personnel losses, the Russian army in the Ukraine war is also increasingly struggling with a shortage of ammunition and dwindling equipment.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, has complained several times about the lack of deliveries from Moscow.
Now, a senior Ukrainian official wrote on Twitter that Russia is “running out of prepared stockpiles of weapons.”
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, explained that the Kremlin originally intended "a blitzkrieg" in the neighboring country - rather than a "blitz exploitation".
Missiles and military equipment "accumulated over decades".
"A corrupt economy is incapable of providing a facade, foreign aid to terrorist Russia is a matter of paramount importance," Danilov continued.
🇷🇺 is running out of prepared stockpiles of weapons.
Missiles and military equipment have been accumulated for decades.
Calculations were for blitzkrieg, not blitzutilization.
A corrupt economy is unable to provide the front, foreign aid for terrorist 🇷🇺 is a priority matter.
— Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) March 11, 2023
Russia needs support and arms supplies
Most recently, Russia was dependent on arms deliveries from other countries, such as Iran and North Korea.
While Tehran provided Shahed drones, which are used against Ukrainian infrastructure, among other things, Pyongyang is said to have supplied missiles and ammunition.
Moscow had so far not commented on or rejected such reports.
Earlier this month ,
Forbes
reported that a “desperate Russia” had begun mounting ancient naval guns — 80 years old, to be precise — on troop carriers.
In addition, a video is to show the equipment with which new recruits in the Russian army are equipped: with plastic bags and rusty AK-47 assault rifles.
Some soldiers reported directly from the front and claimed that nothing had changed "since World War II".
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
War in Ukraine: The Russian missile inventory is also gradually coming to an end
A recent diagnosis by the head of the Estonian secret service, Margo Grosberg, showed that the weapons stocks of the Russian armed forces are increasingly running out.
Putin's troops may only be able to conduct missile attacks for three to four months, Grosberg said.
However, more "pessimistic" forecasts indicated that the missile arsenal could still provide firepower for up to nine months.
British intelligence said in December that a shortage of cruise missiles had forced Moscow to scale back its missile attacks.
Retired US Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling said in a
CNN
appearance that Vladimir Putin realized "that he is quickly running out of the ammunition he needs to continue the fight."
(nak/dpa)