Russian Federation Targets Production of 2.7 Million Artillery Shells in Current Year – Sky Bulletin

As Russia aims to escalate its munitions manufacturing capabilities in the current year, plans have been unveiled to produce a total of 2.7 million artillery shells. This marks a substantial increase from the previous year’s production figures which stood at approximately 2 million units for 122mm and 152mm caliber shells. This information comes directly from Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, as reported to Interfax Ukraine.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates a significant imbalance in ammunition supplies, with reports citing that Russian forces are discharging nearly thrice as many shells per day along the front lines in comparison to Ukrainian troops. These details emerge from a document prepared by Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, and subsequently reviewed by Bloomberg.

Ukraine is currently facing severe ammunition scarcities as a critical $61 billion in financial aid from the United States is delayed in Congress, directly impeding defense aid flows. Consequently, this could lead to a dire shortage of both ammunition and air defenses for Ukraine within the impending weeks.

In an interview with Interfax Ukraine published on Feb. 23, Skibitskyi delineated that meeting Russia’s shell production target would necessitate significant modernization efforts across the board, including revitalization of dormant facilities and the establishment of new production lines. He emphasized the importance of targeted sanctions from Ukraine’s partners against machinery and components crucial to electronics and microcircuit manufacturing.

Moreover, Russia not only continues to produce new ammunition but is also actively refurbishing its existing Soviet-era artillery stockpiles, with Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service revealing that Russia could have access to between 3 to 4 million units by 2023. This was highlighted in a report released on Feb. 13.

Amidst its efforts to sustain and potentially lengthen its conflict with Ukraine, Russia is reportedly reconfiguring its military forces and additional army corps, particularly along the borders it shares with NATO nations, as stated by Estonian intelligence.

Simultaneously, Russia is securing new influxes of ammunition from international sources, with North Korea emerging as a preeminent arms provider to Russia. Skibitskyi notes that approximately 1.5 million 122mm and 152mm shells have been supplied by North Korea, with a caveat – nearly half of these decades-old shells are reportedly non-functional.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, in an interview with RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), published on Feb. 26, urged Europe to halt its ammunition exports to any third-party countries other than Ukraine, considering the dire scenario faced by the Ukrainian military. Subsequently, the European Union has pledged to supply in excess of 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine by the culmination of 2024.