This “Shortage” Could END Russia’s Invasion
(StraightNews.org) – It’s been more than four months since Russia invaded Ukraine, and it looks like the war will continue for some time yet. However, Russia has been seemingly indiscriminate about where it fires missiles and weapons, as evidenced by damage to civilian areas, including schools, apartment buildings, and shopping plazas. This has led Western intelligence sources to surmise that the country might be running out of ammunition.
From Kyiv to Donbas
During the initial weeks of the battle, Russia focused a lot of its efforts on making its way to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and then trying to capture it. After several weeks of fighting against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s military, however, Russia retreated and doubled its efforts on Donbas, an area it’s intent on claiming. Both Luhansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast are located in Donbas, and these are the two areas Russian President Vladimir Putin refers to as separatist regions. The fight for these areas continues, but in the interim, Russia is still firing on Kyiv.
These attacks are sorely eating into Russia’s artillery, according to an anonymous source speaking to The Washington Post. The problem isn’t necessarily the use of its weapons, it’s the pace at which the military is using them and the small gains they’re making for all their efforts. The Western official says this practice will “become unsustainable in light of the costs, and they will need a significant pause to regenerate capability.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a similar statement during an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German publication. He says Russia will be able to continue its advances for a few months, but after that, it will exhaust its resources and forward momentum will cease.
Russia Refuses to Quit
Russia, under Putin’s command, refuses to quit its assault, even if it means exhausting resources. In fact, the military has taken older equipment — including outdated tanks — to throw on its frontlines in Ukraine. Additionally, the military is struggling amid reports of significant casualties. While recruiting efforts are underway to restaff the military, Russian commentators don’t think it’s enough.
One of the country’s military bloggers, Yuri Kotyenok, wrote that in order to pull off success in Ukraine, Russia needs to launch a full-scale military assault comprising 500,000 soldiers. Putin has yet to send troops en-masse, focusing instead on small successes such as the capture of Mariupol.
Ukraine has consistent aid coming in from the Western nations, providing military equipment, including drones, tanks, and missiles. Russia doesn’t have the same support, and if it does eventually run out of ammunition as Western intelligence officials predict, would that mean a retreat?
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