Russian troops have not experienced ammunition deficits in Ukraine's east despite Wagner Group's statements about the lack of projectiles on the front line, Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Military Command, said on April 5.
"We have repeatedly said that there was no shell deficit where the enemy is concentrating its efforts… these are the Bakhmut, Kupiansk, and Lyman areas," Cherevatyi said on national television, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda news outlet. "Unfortunately, the enemy still has considerable power to hit our positions."
The Lyman area in Donetsk Oblast is "the leader" in terms of damage by Russian artillery, the Ukrainian military official added.
According to Cherevatyi, Russia shelled the key Ukrainian city of Bakhmut 245 times over the past 24 hours. Twenty-one clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces reportedly occurred in the area, killing 88 Russian soldiers and injuring 124.
Three Russian drones, one electronic warfare station, and three ammunition warehouses were destroyed, said Cherevatyi.
The U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 14 that the Russian artillery ammunition deficit had led to "extremely" tight ammunition restrictions in many areas of Ukraine's front line.
In February, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, criticized Russia's Defense Ministry for not providing his troops with enough ammunition.
Prigozhin has intensified his rivalry with the Russian Defense Ministry over the past several months. According to the Institute for the Study of War, he is trying to establish his mercenary group as an independent elite force in his quest for power in Russia.
The Ukrainian officials repeatedly claimed a critical shortage of ammunition that limited the country's progress on the battlefield.
On average, Ukraine is firing 110,000 155 mm shells a month, a quarter of the amount used by Russia, according to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
