The EU's promises to deliver 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine were not met due to "wishful thinking" and the fact that existing stocks may be "at least twice as modest as stated by high-ranking EU officials," RFE/RL Schemes investigative project reported on July 8.
Less than 48 hours after the United Kingdom's new Defense Secretary John Healey took his post, Healey met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa and announced a new package of defense aid.
A total of 50,000 shells are the first batch of 180,000 rounds of ammunition financed by Germany, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
Satellite imagery obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) shows at least two pockets of fire, consistent with local accounts of two drones attacking the field ammunition depot in the region's Olkhovatsky district overnight on June 25.
Key developments on June 25: * International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia's Shoigu, Gerasimov * Czech PM confirms Ukraine received first batch of shells under Prague-led initiative * European Court of Human Rights finds Russia guilty of violating human rights in occupied Crimea * Ukraine brings back 90 POWs from Russian captivity
"The first shipment of ammunition from our initiative arrived in Ukraine some time ago. We are doing what it takes," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on 25 June.
New internal Russian trade data obtained by the Washington Post shows that Russia may have received 1.6 million artillery shells from North Korea over the course of six months.
Northrop's agreement is the first known deal of its kind between a U.S. defense company and a Ukrainian government for producing arms in Ukraine.
The European Union has accelerated its production of projectiles and will match Russia's production capacity in 2025, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in an interview with French news outlet La Tribune on June 14.
Ammunition provided under the Czech-led initiative is now arriving in Ukraine and will continue to flow, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told RFE/RL on June 13.
Seoul spotted at least 10,000 containers being shipped from North Korea to Russia, South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said. Pyongyang also sent dozens of ballistic missiles that Moscow troops launch against Ukraine, he added.
The Dutch Defense Ministry announced it will contribute to the IFU's initiative, but it has not revealed the number of shells to be delivered due to security concerns.
An explosion in the Mesko arms factory in the southeastern Polish city of Skarzysko-Kamienna on June 10 started a fire and killed a 59-year-old worker, RMF 24 reported.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also said he had no plans for another wave of mobilization as Moscow had enough volunteers willing to fight in Ukraine.
Representatives of Ukrainian and French companies signed an agreement to set up an ammunition production facility under a KNDS license during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Paris on June 6-7.
In April, Lithuania and Rheinmetall signed a memorandum on further constructing an artillery ammunition plant in the country.
To provide Ukraine with 1.5 million of shells this year, 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion) will be needed, said Tomas Kopecny, the Czech envoy for Ukraine's reconstruction.
The new factory in Mesquite will produce 30,000 each month once it reaches its full capacity, according to the New York Times.
A total of 15 EU countries and NATO have already allocated more than 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 million) for the effort, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
Using publicly available data, consulting firm Bain & Company claims that Russian factories can produce or refurbish 4.5 million 152 mm shells for $1,000 per round this year. European countries and the U.S. are only expected to produce 1.3 million 155 mm shells combined at an average cost of $4,000 per unit.
Berlin has handed over 10 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, four Wisent 1 demining tanks, 1.8 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a Dachs armored engineer vehicle, and other aid in its latest delivery of military aid to Ukraine, the German government said on May 22.
Russia troops attacked the city of Kharkiv with guided munition on May 22, injuring at least 10 people, according to preliminary information by the local authorities.
It will take as long as two years for Sweden to reach the desired capacity to provide Ukraine with more ammunition and strengthen the Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview with Bloomberg published on May 21.
Over the winter months, Ukraine's armed forces suffered a "critical" shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said additional funds would allow the allies to buy over 3,000 rounds of 155 mm shells.
A Russian ammunition depot exploded in the occupied town of Sorokyne (Krasnodon) in Luhansk Oblast, on May 13, Governor Artem Lysohor said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Czech President Petr Pavel discussed the ongoing defense cooperation between their countries, and Pavel confirmed his participation at the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland.
The first batch of ammunition purchased by allied countries under the Czech-led initiative is expected to arrive in Ukraine in June, Czech President Petr Pavel told German broadcaster ARD on May 8.
A Slovak fundraising campaign for the Czech ammunition initiative has raised enough money to buy 2,692 shells for Ukraine, the Czech News Agency reported on May 8.
"We need to increase the production of explosives significantly. Therefore, we must seriously consider the role of domestic industry in this matter," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said.
The new funds will primarily support military aid to Ukraine, with a smaller portion allocated to civilian financial aid, Norway's prime minister said on April 30.
Slovak activists collected 3.9 million euros ($4 million) for the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine in 12 days, after the Slovak government refused to participate.
