Russian protection chief desires wartime missile output doubled

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s protection chief on Tuesday urged a state firm to double its missile output, as a doable Ukrainian counteroffensive looms and each side within the 14-month struggle reportedly really feel an ammunition crunch.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, talking at a gathering with high army brass, mentioned the state-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation had been fulfilling its contracts in a well timed method.

But, Shoigu added, “right now it is necessary to double the production of high-precision weapons in the shortest possible time.”

Analysts have been making an attempt to determine whether or not Russia is working low on high-precision ammunition, as its missile barrages towards Ukraine have turn into much less frequent and smaller in scale.

The U.Ok. protection ministry famous in an evaluation Tuesday that “logistics problems remain at the heart of Russia’s struggling campaign in Ukraine.”

“Russia does not have enough munitions to achieve success on the offensive,” it mentioned.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday described Washington’s newest estimate of Russia’s losses in Ukraine as “spun out of thin air.”

The White House mentioned Monday it now estimated that simply since December Russia had suffered 100,000 casualties, together with greater than 20,000 killed, as Ukraine rebuffed a heavy assault by Russian forces in japanese Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby mentioned the U.S. estimate was primarily based on newly declassified American intelligence. He didn’t clarify how the intelligence neighborhood derived the quantity.

“Washington doesn’t have the opportunity to give any correct numbers. They don’t have such data,” Peskov mentioned.

Ukrainian forces, in the meantime, say they’re readying their very own counteroffensive – and stockpiling ammunition to maintain it alongside doubtlessly lengthy provide traces.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov mentioned Monday that the “key things” for the assault’s success had been “the availability of weapons, prepared, trained people, our defenders and defenders who know their plan at their level, as well as providing this offensive with all the necessary things – shells, ammunition, fuel, protection, etc.”

“As of today, we are entering the home stretch, when we can say: ‘Yes, everything is ready’,” Reznikov mentioned in televised feedback.

Also Tuesday, Denmark mentioned it was donating $251 million in support to Ukraine, together with mine clearance autos, munition, area bridges and cash for air protection that will probably be wanted for a counteroffensive towards Russian forces which can be dug in behind multilayered defensive traces, together with tons of of miles of trenches.

”We know that the Russians have entrenched themselves within the occupied territories of Ukraine with trenches, minefields and different obstacles to cease a Ukrainian offensive,” performing Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen mentioned.

“The material in the donation package is important to pave the way for Ukrainian tanks and the armored infantry in the front line.”

In latest months, amid winter climate, the battle has turn into slowed down in a struggle of attrition that has depleted ammunition shares.

The Kremlin’s forces took purpose at Ukraine’s crucial infrastructure with long-range strikes, whereas Kyiv has zeroed in on Russian targets with precision artillery offered by its Western allies.

In February, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Ukraine was utilizing up ammunition far quicker than its allies might present it.

According to some estimates, Ukraine was at the moment firing as much as 6,000-7,000 artillery shells every day, round a 3rd of the each day quantity that Russia is utilizing virtually one 12 months into the struggle.