Russia appears on track to produce nearly three times more artillery munitions than the US and Europe, a key advantage ahead of what is expected to be another Russian offensive in Ukraine later this year.
Russia is producing about 250,000 artillery munitions per month, or about 3 million a year, according to NATO intelligence estimates of Russian defense production shared with CNN, as well as sources familiar with Western efforts to arm Ukraine. Collectively, the US and Europe have the capacity to generate only about 1.2 million munitions annually to send to Kyiv, a senior European intelligence official told CNN.
The US military set a goal to produce 100,000 rounds of artillery a month by the end of 2025 — less than half of the Russian monthly output — and even that number is now out of reach with $60 billion in Ukraine funding stalled in Congress, a senior Army official told reporters last week.
“What we are in now is a production war,” a senior NATO official told CNN. “The outcome in Ukraine depends on how each side is equipped to conduct this war.”
To be clear: we need to send more. Lots more. I’m never quite sure how to frame these things, because I’m in favor of sending more, but I also like accurate information.
However, Russia has always favored quantity over quality. They don’t really do smart guided artillery shells. It doesn’t matter if they make three times more if they also need ten times more to hit the target.
i mean, it does also kind of matter though, if those shells miss they’re just going to hit civilian locations. Which in it of itself could technically be considered advantageous.
There aren’t any civilian locations on the front. There’s really not much of anything there anymore, except trenches, mines, fields, and holes from artillery.
Until the front moves.
yeah, i suppose that’s true. Even then there is still probably marginal benefit. Just less.