The Russian army is reducing daily deliveries of shells to areas where offensive operations are not taking place
The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces decided to drastically reduce the daily distribution of artillery shells in the areas of the front where offensive operations are not taking place in preparation for a Ukrainian counterattack, reports the Institute for War Research (ISW), citing Alexander Khodakovski, commander of the pro-Russian Vostok Battalion and former member of the separatist administration of Donetsk Oblast.
“The high demand for shells shows that the Russian armed forces still depend heavily on artillery to make up for their key shortcomings, including poor accuracy capabilities, insufficient ground attack capabilities and a lack of air force readiness,” comments the ISW.
“Russian forces use heavy artillery to bombard settlements rather than expose planes and their pilots to Ukrainian air defenses and to limit casualties before attempting to advance with infantry. If Russia continues to lack artillery shells, it will not be able to compensate for its other weaknesses,” he adds.
According to the Washington Post, the Ukrainian army uses three times fewer shells than Russian forces, primarily because they choose their targets better, their shots are more accurate, but also because they are on the defensive in most areas of the forehead.