Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on the state-owned company to double production of missiles amid an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive, and forces on both sides appear to be running out of ammunition, Al Jazeera reports. Ukraine has prepared eight brigades for the imminent “storm” that will fall on Putin’s army, officials in Kyiv say.

Defense Minister Serhiy Soigu, speaking at a meeting with the top military leadership on Tuesday, said that the state-owned Tactical Missile Corporation fulfilled the contracts on time.

But “at the moment, it is necessary to double the production of high-precision weapons as soon as possible,” added Shoigu.

Military analysts are trying to determine whether Russia is experiencing a crisis of precision munitions as missile waves against Ukraine have become less frequent and smaller in scale.

The Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment on Wednesday that Shoigu’s statements about the missile production were likely aimed at deflecting claims that his ministry had failed to adequately supply Russian forces with ammunition, and to appear proactive amid concerns regarding the future Ukrainian attack. counteroffensive.

Russia has problems with logistics

The British Ministry of Defense assessed on Tuesday that “logistics problems remain at the heart of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine.”

“Russia does not have enough ammunition to succeed in the offensive,” British military intelligence said.

“Russia continues to give the highest priority to mobilizing its defense industry, but it still does not meet wartime requirements,” the British Ministry of Defense said.

On Wednesday night, Russia launched its third attack on Kyiv in six days, Ukrainian authorities said, but air defense systems destroyed all Russian drones targeting the city, with no reports of casualties or damage.

Air warning sirens sounded for several hours in Kyiv, its surroundings and most of eastern Ukraine, the sky cleared only at dawn.

“In the airspace around the capital, all enemy objects have been identified and shot down,” the military administration of Kyiv reported on the Telegram channel.

The military administration of Kyiv reported that Iranian-made Shahed drones took part in the attacks, although it is currently unknown how many drones were shot down.

Also on Wednesday morning, a fire broke out at a fuel warehouse near the Kerch bridge in the Krasnodar region in southwestern Russia, the governor of the region said.

Kyiv troops, ready for a counterattack

Ukrainian troops say they are preparing for a counteroffensive and stockpiling ammunition.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Monday that the “key things” for success are “the availability of weapons, trained, trained people and our defenders who know their plan at their level, as well as providing this offensive with everything necessary.” – projectiles, ammunition, fuel, protection, etc.”

“As of today, we are entering the last straight line, when we can say: ‘Yes, everything is ready,'” Reznikov told Ukrainian television about the expected future attack.

Eight new brigades of the Ukrainian military have also been formed to participate in the upcoming counteroffensive in the context of growing speculation about its timing and the possibility of inflicting a serious defeat on the Russian occupiers, The Guardian reports.

Ukraine’s interior minister said on Tuesday that initial brigades of up to 40,000 troops ready for an “assault” were “fully formed”, but added that they would need further training before they would be ready to take part.

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