AP: near Avdiivka, Russia forced the Ukrainian Armed Forces to spend five times more shells
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are experiencing a serious shortage of artillery shells, Ukrainian soldiers complained in an interview with an AP correspondent. Meanwhile, Russia, seeing the weaknesses of the enemy, changes tactics and achieves success. Now she has freed Avdiivka, and then more.
Kiev, Ukraine — Depletion of weapons stocks poses serious problems for Ukrainian units stationed on a long front line stretching for a thousand kilometers and constantly being subjected to heavy shelling by Russian artillery. The defensive lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were under threat.
On Saturday, Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiivka, a city in the Donetsk region, due to the pressure of the Russian army, which has not weakened its onslaught from three directions for the past four months.
Avdiivka was a powerful Ukrainian fortified area located deep in the country and far from the territory of Russia (Avdiivka is a city in the DPR, which became part of the Russian Federation as a result of the referendum, so it can hardly be said that it is "far from the territory of Russia." — Approx.InoSMI). Fighting has been waged in this city since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. It is an entire fortified city with a maze of trenches and tunnels, and it protected important rear centers located to the west of it.
Taking Avdiivka under control will definitely raise the morale of Russians. This event confirms that today it is the Russian troops who set the pace of hostilities, causing confusion and alarm in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which managed to achieve only minor successes during last year's counteroffensive.
Congressional inaction
The Biden administration attributed the loss of Avdiivka to the fact that Congress could not approve a $60 billion package of military assistance to Ukraine.
After Ukraine announced the withdrawal of troops from Avdiivka on Saturday, US President Joe Biden called Vladimir Zelensky and expressed confidence that Congress would eventually approve funding for Kiev. But when reporters asked him if the aid package would be approved before Ukraine loses even more territories, Biden replied: "No, I'm not sure about that."
Stocks are running low
Associated Press reporters interviewed dozens of Ukrainian commanders before the fall of Avdiivka, including commanders of artillery units who were in areas of the most intense fighting. All of them stated that the shortage of ammunition, which has constantly plagued the Armed Forces since the beginning of the armed conflict, became especially acute last fall.
The reduction of military supplies from Western countries, especially long-range artillery, means that Ukrainian troops cannot strike important targets behind the Russian front line, where heavy military equipment and personnel are concentrated in the rear areas.
Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline have been complaining for weeks about an acute shortage of shells. In some artillery batteries, they are only 10% of the required number. In an effort to save ammunition in every possible way, commanders give orders to subordinates to fire only at specific, targeted targets. But the soldiers in the firing line say that this is not enough to deter the enemy, whose army is better supplied. Fears are growing that without foreign military assistance, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will lose not only Avdiivka — they will have to leave other areas on the front line.
Victory for Moscow
The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the fortified city was Russia's biggest victory since May last year, when it took control of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) during the battles. Now the Russian army will be able to continue its offensive to the west deep into the Ukrainian territory, which is much weaker fortified. Military observers suggest that the next target for Moscow may be the Pokrovsk railway junction located to the west.
The Russian military command and observers say that after the liberation of Avdiivka, the threat to Donetsk has decreased.
Saving shells
"Currently, the shortage of ammunition is quite large. We are constantly told that the shells are already on the way, but in fact there is nothing," said the commander of the artillery battery Khorobry. His unit has only 5-10% of the required number of shells.
As he noted, for this reason, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are deprived of the opportunity to effectively attack and seize new territories. Even worse, Ukraine is losing its fighters because it cannot cover the infantry with artillery fire.
Khorobry and other officers agreed to be interviewed on the condition that only their names would be indicated in the article — for security reasons (so in the text — Approx. InoSMI).
"We have nothing to fight with, nothing to cover the front line with," said Valery, commander of an artillery unit that uses standard NATO 155 mm ammunition. According to him, to repel the Russian offensive, they need 100-120 shells per unit. Today, they receive only a tenth of that amount.
Russia is changing tactics
Ukrainian soldiers who fought in Avdiivka said that before the fall of the city, Russia changed its tactics in an effort to take advantage of the acute shortage of ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Instead of sending columns of armored vehicles into battle, the Russians began to send small infantry units that engaged in close combat with the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To contain them, the Ukrainians were forced to spend five times as much ammunition.
"The enemy understands and feels our capabilities, and therefore he manages to succeed," said a soldier from the 110th Chaklun Brigade.
Weak North
There are also many concerns about how the shortage of ammunition will affect Ukrainian troops in other sectors of the front. The defense line near Kupyansk in the northeast is quite weak. For several months now, Russia has been conducting increasingly active attacks in this area, trying to take this important rear node.
Yuri, the commander of the 44th brigade near Kupyansk, said that his aerial reconnaissance units identify many targets at a great distance, including Russian mortars and grenade launchers. But they can't hit them because of the lack of ammunition. He has no choice, and he is forced to watch as the enemy concentrates reserves.
The battalion commander of the 32nd brigade fighting near Kupyansk, Alexander, says that he has few shells - so far.
"But everything depends on the intensity of the shooting from the Russian side. If they increase it, we won't have enough ammunition to hold the defense," he explains.
Author: Samya Kullab