The crew at an artillery position in eastern Ukraine had 33 shells in its ammunition bunker, stacked neatly like firewood against a wall.
Then came an order to fire. Twenty minutes later, smoke wafted around a howitzer and 17 shells were gone — more than half the crew’s ammunition. The rapidly depleted stack was emblematic of Ukraine’s dwindling supply of artillery munitions, even as Russian attacks persist.
“Artillery decides battles,” said Capt. Vladyslav Slominsky, the artillery commander along this section of the front. “Who has more wins.”
For now, that is Russia, as Ukrainian soldiers are reaching for some of the last ammunition for some types of weapons after months of delays in the U.S. Congress over a fresh round of military and financial assistance. There are signs that the logjam may be breaking, as Speaker Mike Johnson this week laid out potential conditions for bringing the measure up for a vote that it is expected to pass despite opposition from many conservative Republicans.
The shortfall comes as Ukraine is on the defensive along the 600-mile front line in eastern Ukraine and is building additional fortifications, such as bunkers, trenches and minefields. Artillery ammunition is needed to hold the line until the defensive fortifications are completed and an expected Russian offensive gets underway this summer.
Russia has had an artillery advantage throughout the war, but that edge diminished for a time last year. Estimates vary, but analysts and Ukrainian officials say Russia is now firing at least five times as many artillery rounds as Ukraine.
“You cannot expect people to fight without ammunition,” Johan Norberg, a military analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency, said in a telephone interview. “That’s a basic point.”
Ukraine’s largest single supplier of ammunition was the United States until the latest round of military assistance stalled in Congress. Representative Mike Turner of Ohio, a Republican who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CBS News over the weekend that American military and intelligence officials had made it clear Ukraine could not hold out much longer.
It's hopeless for Ukraine.
@SovereignLocustForward4wks4W
The key point here is the following: "a counteroffensive that failed even with relatively abundant supplies".
Ukraine had plenty of shells and men before tens of thousands of Ukrainian relatively young men went into the buzzsaw with horrific results for the Ukrainian forces. After this, there were suddenly no more volunteers.
Ukraine has all these problems now only because it decided to launch an ill-fated offensive, which it pushed well past what was reasonable.
If Ukraine went on the defensive in July 2023, before it suffered irretrievable losses of well over 60,000, Ukraine would… Read more
@HopefulChowderPatriot4wks4W
Why is the Czech Republic forced to scrounge shells and other ammo from shady markets around the world? How come they can't just buy the ammo from US arms makers? Makes me think there's a lot more to the shortage than politics. Are we being lied to about Ukraine's prospects?
Seems pretty clear that no amount of foreign military support will be enough to prevent a Russian victory. I feel bad for the Ukrainian people, but dragging this catastrophe out with a pipe dream that foreign aid will turn the tide is cruel.
@ConservaDoveRepublican4wks4W
If Ukraine is re-supplied before the summer then they should be able to stalemate Russia. If not, Russia will overrun Ukraine and this phase of the war is over. If Trump gets elected in November, the possibility of more aggression becomes a reality once Trump drops the US out of NATO. European countries are well aware of this possibility. The consequences of Russia invading Poland, and the Baltics, would be catastrophic to world markets, tourism, and trade, plus the ill will toward the USA would be immeasurable. The MAGA principle favors a go-it-alone mentality that makes no sense except to head-in-the-sand thinkers. Hopefully, this nightmare scenario never comes true.
Past evidence has shown that the Ukrainians have the will and ability to defeat the Russians and push them out of their territory if they have adequate supplies of ammunition and weapons. The democratic world should be giving the Ukrainians the resources that they need for as long as it takes for the Ukrainians to secure their borders. The war could end in short order if the Russians returned to their own borders and stopped their attack, and only by making it as painful as possible for the Russians is this likely to happen. Appeasing the Russians through a peace settlement now will only reward their bad behavior and encourage similar incursions by the Russians into neighboring countries.
@WelfareGaryRepublican4wks4W
The U.S., in particular, has let Ukraine flounder.
Not enough equipment, ammunition or F-16's.
Biden slow walked support when it was needed most.
We should have offered much more support starting in 2014 when the Russian incursion actually started.
There are no limits to what republicans will do to win the 2024 election. They will let Ukraine fail and the border problems will be ignored .Many lives will be lost due to their lack of action and yet they are a minority of our government. This does not bode well if the GOP somehow comes back into power.
@ISIDEWITH4wks4W
How do you reconcile the need for peace with the urgent requirement for ammunition in war zones like Ukraine?
@9LC3F92Constitution4wks4W
They want more ammunition to keep fighting. I just want people to stop dying. No one in particular is right here.
@ISIDEWITH4wks4W
What emotions arise when you think about soldiers having to ration their ammunition during critical battles?
@9LCHN5L4wks4W
I feel sad that innocent people defending their country are risking their lives because of a lack of support from the United Nations.
@ISIDEWITH4wks4W
How would you feel if your country was in a similar situation as Ukraine, relying on diminishing ammunition supplies to defend itself?
@9LCJC3W4wks4W
Thought you wernt the good Guy anymore ain't that what you said? Even right here right now u ain't willing to fight for it.
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