Russia's ammunition use has been cut nearly in half amid the long-term impacts of Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the Ukrainian news outlet TSN on Jan. 19.
Ukraine has intensified strikes deep into Russian territory in an attempt to weaken Russia's ability to wage war in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"For several months now, the artillery ammunition expenditure rates in the Russian army have practically halved. If previously the figure reached up to 40,000 rounds per day, it is now significantly lower," Syrskyi said when asked what the impact of Ukrainian strikes has been on Russia's military supply-chain.
Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory target "industrial enterprises that produce ammunition, missile parts, or dual-use products are targeted for destruction," Syrsky said, adding that oil refineries serve as regularly military targets.
Ukraine has regularly targeted Russian ammunition depots in an attempt to stall Russia's operations on the front line.
Despite being regularly outgunned by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has managed to progress in arms production, with the country producing about 33-34% of its annual weapons needs — up from less than 10% before the full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15. Europe and the U.S. supply more than 60% of Ukraine’s weaponry, with each accounting for about 30%.
Earlier in his interview, Syrskyi said that Ukraine is working on developing its own air defense systems, including ones that can repel the the Oreshnik missile.
"This encourages us to create our own air defense system, which would be not just an air defense system, but also an anti-missile system," Syrskyi said. "The work is underway, it is being actively pursued in this direction. I hope that we will soon get the desired result for us," he added.
Ukraine aims to spend a record $35 billion on weapons production in 2025, according to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The Ukrainian government intends to provide $17 billion, while the rest may be financed by allies.
Abbey Fenbert
(Updated: )
