after Russian success in Avdiivka while Putin orders the Russian army to advance deep into UkraineWestern officials cited by Reuters say Kremlin forces do not have sufficient domestic production of ammunition to support the war against Kyiv.

Russia’s military industry is also grappling with the fallout from the sanctions, officials said, adding that the inability to access Western components is undermining its ability to produce new systems and repair old ones, News.ro reported.

Western officials released the situation as the war in Ukraine enters its third year, with Russia on the offensive after taking control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka, amid warnings that Ukraine is running out of ammunition.

“We don’t think Russia has a meaningful plan other than to continue fighting while waiting for the numbers of Russian manpower and equipment to finally be told,” one official said on condition of anonymity.

The shortage of supplies to Ukraine has drawn attention because of its dependence on Western support in the form of money and equipment, as political wrangling in Washington blocks $61 billion in US aid.

Russian artillery fires five times more shells than Ukrainian artillery

Artillery projectiles crisis, experts and front-line soldiers have estimated that Russian artillery is now firing five times more than Ukrainian artillery.

But Western officials have said Russia is also in trouble, as sanctions have hit military production hard, causing delays and driving up costs, meaning it cannot meet the demands of the war.

According to them, one of the consequences was that Moscow transferred military equipment intended for foreign allies. In March last year, the Indian Air Force said that due to the war in Ukraine, Russia was unable to deliver vital equipment it had promised to provide to the Indian military.

“Russia’s domestic munitions production capabilities are currently insufficient to meet the needs of the conflict in Ukraine,” the official said.

Despite the problems, Putin’s goals remained the same, officials warned, saying they did not believe Russia had abandoned its goals of subjugating Ukraine.

The Ukrainian industrial city of Avdiyivka, once home to 32,000 people, was captured by Russian forces on Saturday, marking President Vladimir Putin’s biggest victory in Ukraine since the capture of Bakhmut, another Donetsk city, last spring.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army, General Valery Gerasimov, visited the troops fighting in Ukraine to discuss the next steps after the capture of the city of Avdiivka, state media reported on Wednesday.

Gerasimov, who was shown handing out medals to Russian soldiers who took part in the capture of Avdiyivka, was given the report by the commander of the storming of this city, Colonel-General Andriy Morditsev, state media reported.

On the other hand, it is known that Andriy “Murz” Morozov, one of the most famous Russian military bloggers, committed suicide after talking about the losses of the Russian army during the battle for Avdiivka.

A military blogger posted on February 18, the same day that the Russian army announced it had taken “full” control of the city of Avdiyivka, Donetsk region, that the number of Russian casualties there was 16,000.

His post sparked a heated debate among the Russian military blogging community, which has hundreds of thousands of followers on Telegram, and Murz was heavily criticized by some Moscow propagandists.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN that Avdiyivka would not have fallen if Ukraine had received weapons through a $61 billion aid package not approved by the US Congress.