Ukraine has warned its allies that it is facing a "critical" shortage of artillery shells as Russia deploys three times more firepower on the front line every day, UNN reports citing Bloomberg.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote to his European Union counterparts this week, describing the huge casualty toll his troops are taking as they try to repel new Russian attacks, the newspaper said. According to the document, seen by Bloomberg, Ukraine is unable to fire more than 2,000 shells a day across the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line. This is less than a third of the ammunition used by Russia.
Ukraine's arms deficit is growing every day, Umerov added, calling on its EU allies to do more to fulfill their promise to supply one million artillery shells. According to him, Ukraine needs to at least match the firepower deployed by its enemy.
"Usually the side that has the most ammunition for the battle wins," Umerov said, according to the document.
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On Wednesday, the EU acknowledged that it will deliver only half of the promised shells by the March deadline, resolving to deliver nearly 600,000 more by the end of the year.
Ukraine needs 200,000 155-mm shells a month, the document says. According to Estonian estimates, Moscow intends to receive almost twice as many, as about a million shells come from North Korea.
At a meeting of defense ministers on Wednesday, the EU said it will have the capacity to produce 1 million rounds a year and plans to double that capacity to 2 million in 2025. The United States is also ramping up production of shells to help Ukraine meet its needs.