Ukrainian Military Faces Critical Shortage of Troops and Ammunition in Third Year of War with Russia

[クラマトルスク（ウクライナ） ２１日 ロイター] – As the war against Russia enters its third year, the Ukrainian military’s 59th Infantry Brigade is facing a harsh reality. We are running out of troops and ammunition to fight.

According to one platoon leader, the number of soldiers in the brigade numbered in the thousands at the start of the war, but due to a series of deaths, injuries, old age, and illness, it is estimated that only 60 to 70 percent of the soldiers remain.

The situation has worsened further, with Russian attacks causing many casualties, and the unseasonably high temperatures on the Eastern Front turning the frozen ground into slushy, eroding the health of soldiers.

The brigade’s company commander said, “The weather is raining, snowing, raining, snowing.As a result, influenza and angina are widespread.Soldiers who are sick are temporarily removed from duty, but we cannot fill the gap. The shortage of soldiers is an urgent issue for all military units.”

The 24th marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia currently has the upper hand in this war, which combines attrition warfare using trenches reminiscent of World War I and high-tech drone warfare involving tens of thousands of devices. .

After scoring small victories in recent months, Russian forces captured Abdevka in eastern Donetsk region over the weekend. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s 3rd Special Assault Brigade, which was defending the area, acknowledged that Russian forces were overwhelmingly superior, with a 1:7 force ratio.

Reuters spoke to more than 20 soldiers and commanders from infantry, drone and artillery units in different sections of the 1,000-kilometre (1,000 km) front in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Morale in the Ukrainian military remains high. However, despite President Zelenskiy’s requests, military support from Western countries has slowed, making it difficult to hold back the Russian military, which is superior in size and supply capacity.

Another commander of the 59th Infantry Brigade described the persistent attacks by five to seven Russian troops, saying that the raids amounted to up to 10 times a day, and that “one or two defensive positions were exposed to such attacks throughout the day. “If we defend ourselves, our soldiers will become exhausted and our weapons will break down. It’s clear what will happen if we can’t replenish ammunition and weapons.”

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Khavrilov told Reuters in a written statement that Ukraine was on the defensive due to a lack of artillery ammunition and rockets, and that Russia was expected to step up its offensive on several fronts. He cautions that “if necessary military aid is further delayed, the situation on the front line could become even more difficult.”

The Ukrainian government relies largely on funding and equipment provided from abroad to pay for the war. However, now that Congressional deliberations on $61 billion in aid from the United States are stalling, the reality of Japan’s dependence on foreign countries has become even more apparent.

According to a soldier in the rocket artillery unit, the rocket launcher used by this soldier was designed by the former Soviet Union, which few of Ukraine’s allies have, and its current operating rate is about 30%.

February 21, As the war against Russia enters its third year, the Ukrainian military’s 59th Infantry Brigade is facing a harsh reality. Photo: Ukrainian soldiers standing near the front lines in Donetsk Oblast on the 4th (2024 Reuters/Alina Smutko)

Artillery shells are also in short supply as the fighting drags on and Western countries are unable to keep up the pace of shipments. In addition to the U.S. supply disruption, the European Union has also admitted that it will miss nearly half of its goal of supplying one million shots by March.

Michael Koffman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a Russian military expert, estimates that the Russian military’s artillery fire is five times that of Ukraine’s. “Ukraine does not have the minimum necessary artillery shells for defense, and this situation cannot continue,” he said.

According to Ukrainian government officials, the country’s military has about 800,000 soldiers. In December last year, President Putin ordered Russia’s military strength to increase by 170,000 soldiers to 1.3 million.

Russia also outstrips Ukraine in defense spending, and is expected to spend $109 billion in 2024, more than double Ukraine’s target ($43.8 billion).

Ukraine is also considering a bill in its parliament to increase its military strength, but there is an atmosphere among soldiers on the front lines that it is difficult to expect a significant increase.

In a recent letter to the EU, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Umerov called Ukraine’s ammunition shortage a “crisis” and called on countries to step up efforts to boost supplies.

Fighter planes are rarely seen on the front lines during the Ukraine war, mainly because air defense systems act as a deterrent. However, in the airspace, both sides are vying for dominance in drone technology.

Ukraine is working to improve drone production and innovation, developing advanced long-range drones. Meanwhile, Russia has also canceled out Ukraine’s early advantage through huge investments.

Its scale is astonishing. Ukraine ordered more than 300,000 drones last year and sent more than 100,000 to the front, according to Federov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation.

Meanwhile, a company commander from the 59th Brigade said Russia’s expanded use of drones has made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to establish and fortify fortified positions. He said, “When the Ukrainian military tries to do something, a drone detects them and a second one drops something.”

According to Ukrainian military drone pilots, the Russian military has also been forced to retreat several kilometers with valuable vehicles and weapons due to drones.

But pilots from three Ukrainian forces say Russia already has far more drones than Ukraine. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced this month that production of military drones has soared over the past year, but did not provide figures.

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2024-02-22 08:55:55
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