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units will begin to wear out, which could turn Russian breakthroughs into a real possibility," she says. According to Massicot, it is urgently necessary to carry out a new mobilization in Ukraine, sharply increase the supply of ammunition from the West, and accelerate the construction of new lines of defense. Meanwhile, the US is dissatisfied with Ukraine's military strategy. The Pentagon believes that Ukraine needs to focus its forces on one major battle at a time. Instead, President Zelenskyy has committed his resources to fighting for cities with no strategic value, according to US officials. At the same time, Ukrainians are disappointed with the delay in critical aid from the US.
India identifies 'major human trafficking network' luring Indians to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The news came after multiple media reports said that Indian men who came to Russia for work or tourism were then coerced into joining the war against Ukraine.
Russian energy companies have started building their own air-defense systems, reports iStories. In the past year, corporations like Rosneft, Lukoil, and Transneft have listed almost 300 contracts for anti-UAV equipment, typically through closed bidding platforms. Despite these investments, dozens of Ukrainian drones successfully hit Russian energy infrastructure in the past three months alone.
● Weapons
Russia producing 3 times more shells than US, Europe can provide to Ukraine. Russia is set to produce nearly three times as many artillery munitions as the U.S. and Europe this year, CNN reported on March 11, citing NATO intelligence estimates and unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Russia produces 200% more artillery shells than the US and EU combined for Ukraine. According to NATO intelligence data, Russia produces about 250,000 artillery munitions per month, or about three million per year. Together, the US and Europe can produce only about 1.2 million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine annually. The US military has set a goal of producing 100,000 artillery shells a month by the end of 2025, less than half of Russia's monthly output, and even that number is now out of reach because $60B in funding for Ukraine is now stalled in Congress. Russia currently fires about 10,000 shells a day, while Ukraine only has 2,000 available, and despite Ukraine having been supplied with several high-tech weapon systems, military analysts believe the outcome of the war will depend on the ability to fire more artillery shells than the enemy. At the same time, officials say that Russian production capacity is still limited, and factories will probably peak sometime in 2025.
Russia to boosts military output in 2023, will have materiel edge over Ukraine in 2024 says UK intelligence. In 2023, Russia’s defense industry boosted output, employing 3.5 million workers and refurbishing existing stocks. Artillery munition production surged, but may peak in 2024 due to capacity
55 RUSSIA Country Report April 2024 www.intellinews.com