Page 39 - RusRPTSept23

September 1.
US to further increase 155 mm ammunition production. The U.S. plans to increase its production of 155 mm shells, bringing it to 80,000 per month next year, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Aug. 10. The statement comes amid Ukraine's growing need for NATO-standard ammunition, which is used with West-provided artillery.
Russia replicates Iranian drones, using them to attack Ukraine. A report from a weapons research group indicates that Russia has started making copies of attack drones obtained from Iran in the previous year and has been using them against Ukraine.
2.13 Polls & Sociology
The share of Russians who believe that the country’s top leadership has a long-term strategy rose from 40% to 57% in the past two years, according to a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research centre (VCIOM).
"In the past two years, Russians have become increasingly convinced of the existence of a long-term strategy among the [country’s] top leadership. The rate of those sharing this position rose from 40% to 57% in the reporting period," the pollster said.
According to VCIOM, 21% of those surveyed said that there was no such strategy, while their share stood at 29% in 2021. Another 17% were unable to give an unambiguous answer and only partially agreed with the notion.
According to the poll results, 46% of Russians are confident that the country has a predictable future, an increase from 36% in 2021. As many as 27% of those polled disagreed with this statement (a drop from 34% in 2021), and 21% only partially agreed with it.
In addition, the majority of Russians (72%) are confident that the situation in the country will improve in the next 8-10 years; in particular, 31% are observing positive changes taking place in the country and see Russia as a prosperous country, while in 2022 the share of respondents holding this view was 39%. A total of 20% of the poll’s participants said they could see the situation in Russia deteriorating.
Additionally, 50% of Russians consider the country to be one of the world’s great powers, 28% believe that Russia is likely to become a great power in the next 15-20 years, and 17% think that it will not achieve this status.
RUSSIA Country Report September 2023 www.intellinews.com