Ukraine has consumed all its Soviet and Russian armaments – now fully dependent on the West

Ukraine has exhausted all Russian and Soviet-made weapons and now depends solely on weapons supplied by its foreign allies, mainly Western artillery, according to several US military sources.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Westerners mobilized in support of Kyiv, which demanded weapons and ammunition, but made sure to avoid any action that could be perceived as a major provocation by Moscow because of their concern about the spread of the war beyond the Ukrainian borders.

Without saying that, they were also worried that their most advanced weapons might fall into the hands of the Russian army.

They thus turned to countries that once belonged to the Soviet bloc and had Soviet-standard ammunition to replace those used by Ukrainian forces.

But even when those stocks were exhausted, the Soviet-made European arsenal “disappeared from the surface of the planet,” as a military official told AFP.

That is why the United States and other NATO members have decided to put aside concerns about the spread of the war or the fall into Russia’s hands of sensitive technologies. Washington began sending heavy weapons to Kyiv, such as initial firearms, and then decided to send state-of-the-art equipment, such as HIMARS multi-missile launchers, high-precision systems with a range longer than similar Russian weapons.

“Continuous flow”

The allies are trying to coordinate their military aid to Kyiv so that Ukrainian forces can receive a “continuous flow” of ammunition, spare parts and small arms, another US military official has explained.

This is the declared goal of the Contact Group for Ukraine set up by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who first met in April with some 40 countries present at the Rammstein base in Germany.

Following its second digital meeting in May, the group is expected to meet again on 15 June in Brussels.

If Western armaments seem to be catching up with the dropper in Ukraine, it is because the Allies want to make sure that Kyiv will be able to receive it safely and to reduce the risk of bombing ammunition depots.

The U.S. is sending $ 700 million worth of military aid, the latest of which, worth $ 700 million, announced June 1, includes four HIMARS systems, 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, four Mi-17 helicopters, 15,000 artillery shells, and 15 light armor. and ammunition of various calibers.

“We are trying to maintain a constant flow,” said the second soldier.

Asked about the decision to send a small number of HIMARS while the Ukrainians are having a hard time in Donbass, the head of the US General Staff, General Mark Milli, explained last Wednesday that he wanted to be sure that the Ukrainian soldiers would be able to handle them. well before sending more.

“HIMARS is an ‘advanced’ system, these boys need to be ‘certified, to be sure they know how to use these systems properly,'” the general said.

Their pilots, conservators, officers and non-commissioned officers need to be trained, he explained.

For Washington, this first mission is seen as an important test, both to ensure that HIMARS technology does not fall into enemy hands and to ensure that the Ukrainians make good use of these costly systems. That does not stop the Pentagon from preparing for the next round of military aid.

In addition, HIMARS and their ammunition are already in Germany and will be sent to Ukraine if the experience of using the first four is positive, according to another US military source.

However, Washington has ruled out the supply of large-scale UAVs to Kyiv, such as the “Gray Eagle”, with a range of 300 kilometers, which is enough to strike large Russian cities, according to the same source.

Source: AMPE