Due to the reduction in Western aid, Ukrainian troops lack artillery shells – The Washington Post

Due to the reduction of assistance from the West to Ukrainian troops, there is a shortage of artillery shells on the front lines, forcing some units to cancel planned attacks.

The Washington Post reported this, citing conversations with Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters.

The lack of ammunition “exacerbates the already palpable anxiety in the Ukrainian capital,” as American and European aid diminishes and winter sets in, the article states.

“Our artillerymen have been given a limit of shells for each target,” said a serviceman from the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, which is engaged in combat operations in the southeast of the Zaporizhzhia region.

“If it’s a smaller target, like a mortar position, they only give us five or seven shells,” he said anonymously. “You can’t win a war on motivation alone. There has to be some numerical advantage, but with weapons and armaments, it’s only getting worse.”

Artem, a 31-year-old spotter from the 148th Artillery Brigade firing a 155mm howitzer, mentioned that their unit now fires only 10-20 shells per day at enemy targets, whereas previously they used an average of 50 shells, sometimes even up to 90.

“What can you do with 10 shells a day? It’s barely enough to respond to their advance, let alone attack their positions. If the situation doesn’t change or even worsens, we won’t be able to suppress them, and they will push us back,” Artem said.

Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian military sources, Russian forces currently do not face a shortage of artillery shells.