For Ukrainian gun commander Oleksandr Kozachenko, the long-awaited U.S. ammunition can't come fast enough as he and his comrades struggle to hold off relentless Russian attacks.
His unit's U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer, which once hurled 100 shells a day at the encroaching enemy, is now often reduced to fewer than 10.
"It's a luxury if we can fire 30 shells."
America says it's rushing ammunition and weapons to Ukraine following the delayed approval of a $61 billion aid package by Congress last month. As of early May, though, two artillery units visited by Reuters on the eastern frontline said they were still waiting for a boost in deliveries and operating at a fraction of the rate they need to hold back the Russians.
Gunners with Kozachenko's 148th Separate Artillery Brigade and the 43rd Artillery Brigade, both in the Donetsk region, said they were desperate for more 155mm rounds for their Western cannons, which had given them an edge over Russia earlier in the war.
Resurgent Russian forces, which significantly outnumber and outgun the Ukrainian defenders, have been mounting multiple attacks across the eastern Donbas region in recent months and along the country's northeastern border last week.
@CicadaJimGreen1yr1Y
Dominic Cummings, ex-aide to Boris Johnson, who killed negotiations between Ukraine & Russia in 4/22, now admits, “This whole Ukrainian corrupt mafia state has basically conned us all and we’re all going to get f**ked as a consequence."
Before the Russia invasion, admittedly I knew very little about either country. It took me about a week of basic reading and looking into the two to conclude this was a massive fraud. It perpetuates money laundering for the elites/politicians and sustains the “military industrial complex.
@WrathfulCod1yr1Y
That mirrors my experience. After the invasion I was on the side of Ukraine being the victim of agression until I did some research into the history of the conflict. It took about 2 weeks until I was firmly with Russia and everything since has just reinforced that opinion.
It's important to understand that Ukraine became "The Most Corrupt Nation In Europe" because of the extraordinary efforts the CIA & MI6 made to corrupt it.
People think the CIA is all spies & hi-tech gadgets but 99% of what the CIA accomplishes is by throwing LOTS of money around.
That's what they did in Italy & Iran in the 1950's, Ukraine since 1991, & Georgia today...It was CIA/MI6 money that enabled the Nationalists to become super influential in Ukrainian politics by 2014.
They always had tons of [CIA/NED/USAID] money to throw around to gain influence over not only Ukraine's political class but also its info spaces
LMFAO. I'm sure right now the Ukrainian people are all sitting around agreeing how grateful they are that they hitched their wagon to USrael's six-pointed star.
@ISIDEWITH1yr1Y
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.
