RT.com
17 Mar 2023, 05:43 GMT+10
The US and UK are trying to scrounge up ammunition for a 'spring offensive,? officials say
A New York Times story on Thursday suggested that the US and its allies are running out of ammunition they can supply to Ukraine, while Kiev is using up the troops and shells that will be needed for a planned spring offensive to fight for Artyomovsk instead.
Called Bakhmut by the Kiev authorities, Artyomovsk is now almost entirely surrounded by Russian forces. Ukrainian troops attempting to hold the town are running out of ammunition, the Times reported, with one brigade commander complaining of a "catastrophic shortage" of artillery shells.
Some US and EU officials now worry that Ukraine is using up "thousands" of shells a day in the battle for Artyomovsk, at a pace that is "unsustainable" and "could jeopardize a planned springtime campaign" that Kiev's western sponsors "hope will prove decisive," according to the Times.
The Pentagon has reportedly even "raised concerns" with Kiev about this, warning Ukraine about "wasting ammunition."
The US and its allies "did not stockpile weaponry in anticipation of supplying an artillery war," the outlet noted. A "secret British task force" is trying to track down and buy Soviet-caliber ammunition from around the world. The US and NATO have managed to put together some shells, but they are supposed to be used in the upcoming offensive.
One Pentagon official described the push as a "last-ditch effort," because the West does not have enough ammunition to keep up with Ukrainian expenditures.
NATO's own stocks are "critically low" and it will take "many months" for efforts to boost production to have an effect, again according to the Times. Without artillery, the paper explained, "hundreds" of new tanks and armored vehicles that the West is sending Ukraine will have a "limited" effect.
The anonymous officials who spoke to the Times also claimed that Ukrainian casualties have been so severe, with "more than 100,000" troops wounded or killed so far, that Kiev must decide whether to hold onto Artyomovsk or save soldiers for the "one meaningful opportunity this year" to go on the offensive.
Though the US has tried to downplay the significance of Artyomovsk, President Vladimir Zelensky has decided to hold the town at seemingly all cost, declaring there is no part of Ukraine that can be abandoned.
The only logic of "expending so much blood and ammo" on the town would be to "drain Russia of resources and prevent its troops from heading farther west," Camille Grand, NATO's former assistant secretary general for defense investment and now a defense expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told the Times. "The alternative is that they got dragged into a situation that, in the long term, plays in Russia's favor and now it's difficult to get out of it."
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationDar es Salaam [Tanzania], April 15 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth paid tributes to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on...
(250414) -- MASHONALAND WEST PROVINCE (ZIMBABWE), April 14, 2025 (Xinhua) -- People attend a session of the China-aid Juncao technology...
Washington DC [US], April 14 (ANI): Pete Marocco, who played a key role in overseeing the drastic reduction of foreign aid and the...
Cape Town [South Africa], April 14 (ANI): Diksha Dagar shot her best round of the week with a 4-under 68 and grabbed a Top-10 finish...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 14 (ANI): The wait is finally over as the trailer of 'Jewel Thief - The Heist Begins' was unveiled...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 14 (ANI): Kolkata-based Uday Kumar is a contractual worker whose life took an unforeseen turn...
New York [US], April 15 (ANI): The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations marked Dr BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary with...
Dar es Salaam [Tanzania], April 15 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth paid tributes to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on...
Trips to Russia will not be taken lightly, warns EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Countries aspiring to join the European Union...
Extending sanctions against Russia has been one of the most pressing issues for the European Union -- especially this year. And Hungary's...
By Reena Bhardwaj New York [US], April 15 (ANI): New York City has proclaimed April 14 as 'Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Day,' recognising...
The US restrictions have undermined bilateral trade, the foreign minister has said Trade between Russia and the US has seen a major...