Ukrainian artillery reports a 60-80% drop in firing rate due to ammunition shortages.

Military Watch reports that Ukrainian artillery units have been forced to reduce their ammunition usage by 80-90%, down to just 10-20 rounds per day. Meanwhile, the standard is 50 rounds per day, and the highest rate used by Ukrainian artillery batteries was nearly 90 rounds per day, according to a Ukrainian soldier interviewed by the Washington Post.

A member of the Ukrainian army's 148th Artillery Brigade, which uses Western-supplied 155mm howitzers, complained to Washington Post reporters about the ammunition shortage: “ What can you do with 10 rounds a day? It’s barely enough to stop Russian attacks, let alone use artillery to strike their positions .”

Ukrainian soldiers have consistently complained that Russian forces are not facing the same ammunition shortages as they do. One soldier emphasized that they are currently only being supplied with a very limited amount of ammunition for use in attacking specific targets, while frontline units are "exhausted" from the lack of fire support and under considerable pressure from the enemy, further complicating the situation.

The soldier added, " You should have some kind of numerical advantage, but the situation only got worse; we can't win a war based solely on faith ."

The proportion of ammunition expenditure in Ukraine far exceeded the production capacity of the Western countries supporting them. Meanwhile, the efforts of Western intelligence agencies to find compatible Soviet-era weapons to acquire and provide to Ukraine only met a small fraction of the demand. Furthermore, Ukraine's own weapons and ammunition production was insufficient to meet battlefield needs, as production had been drastically reduced due to the war.

Conversely, Russian units have consistently received timely replenishment of weapons and equipment, and the output of Russian defense factories has increased rapidly since the conflict broke out. Some Western sources even suggest that Russia has received additional support from its allies in terms of artillery shells and UAVs.

Ukraine's ammunition shortage is partly due to the US decision to divert aid to Israel from the beginning of October, many of which were scheduled to be sent to Ukraine. In addition, the depletion of ammunition stockpiles in NATO member states has also created serious challenges, preventing many members of the alliance from providing further assistance to Ukraine.

A Ukrainian soldier stands beside a stash of 155 mm artillery shells.

The ammunition shortage was first highlighted in late 2022, when Ukraine's surface-to-air missile network ran out of missiles, rendering it incapable of countering Russian missiles and aircraft.

Earlier this month, interviews with several members of the Ukrainian Army's elite mechanized brigade also corroborated claims gathered by the Washington Post. Even with funding available, options for using that money to purchase weapons remain limited due to depleted supplies over the past two years.

Meanwhile, there are differing opinions within the US Senate regarding continued aid to Ukraine, further exacerbating Ukraine's difficulties as its counterattack has failed to yield results.

Le Hung (Source: Military Watch)

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