Russia’s attack on Ukraine has turned into an artillery war, and Ukraine is at risk of losing, according to the deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence.
Vadym Skibitsky told The Guardian in an interview published on Friday that Ukraine now relies heavily on Western-provided weapons in its counter-offensive against Russia. Russia, meanwhile, currently outperforms Ukraine in terms of artillery supplies, according to the official.
“It simply came to our notice then [the West] gives us, “Skibitsky said.” Ukraine has one piece of artillery to 10 to 15 pieces of Russian artillery. Our western partners have given us about 10 percent of what they have. “
While there are indications that neither Russia nor Ukraine are ready to win a decisive victory in the conflict, Skibitsky’s comments indicate that weapons, or lack thereof, could serve as a turning point in the “war on ‘artillery’ in progress. Maps with assessments of territorial control in Ukraine, shared daily by the Institute for the Study of War, show that Russia and Ukraine have only been gaining and losing ground in small increments in recent weeks.
Skibitsky told The Guardian that Ukraine uses between 5,000 and 6,000 rounds of artillery every day. They have almost run out of their own artillery ammunition and are using NATO-standard 155-caliber howitzers, he said.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has turned into an artillery war and Ukraine is at risk of losing it, according to the deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence. Above, a member of the Ukrainian army is in an armored vehicle heading to the front line in the city of Lysychansk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on June 9. . Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images
Skibitsky said that even Western Ukrainian arms suppliers are beginning to run out of stock.
“Europe is also delivering smaller-scale shells, but as Europe runs out, the quantity is getting smaller,” he said.
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a $ 40 billion aid package for Ukraine. It also announced an additional $ 700 million security assistance package for the country on June 1. Skibitsky did not mention US aid in the interview, nor whether it is expected to have any significant impact on Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
While Ukraine covers its ammunition and arms supplies, it is also suffering large daily losses in terms of labor. An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC this week that between 100 and 200 Ukrainian soldiers die every day on the front lines of the war.
Russia, meanwhile, has largely refrained from commenting on its own troop losses.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that some 31,500 Russian soldiers had died in the war. Russia last reported a death toll on March 25, saying 1,351 Russian soldiers and officers had been killed in Ukraine, Radio Free Europe reported.
Newsweek contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency for comment.