Ukraine’s armed forces may run out of ammunition for air defense systems by the end of March, several Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post, as cited by The Moscow Times, an independent Russian publication that Moscow has declared a “foreign agent.”

According to the cited sources, for this reason, Ukraine will soon have to limit its air defense so that it can shoot down only one in five Russian missiles.

As sources in Kyiv told the Washington Post, this will have a “significant impact on the country’s urban centers,” which are targeted by the Russian military.

At the same time, Russia knows that Ukraine is running out of anti-aircraft missiles and is preparing for new strikes, writes The Telegraph citing sources among Russian officials.

The Russian military launched a double missile strike on Odesa, killing 21 people, including firefighters trying to put out the fire caused by the strike.

This is the largest number of deaths recorded in one day in the main port city of Ukraine since the beginning of the war, The Telegraph notes.

Ukrainian officials, who took part in the Munich Security Conference, informed their European and Western colleagues about the exhaustion of stocks of shells intended for the defense of Ukraine.

Russia has an advantage

So far, the overall balance of resources is in Russia’s favor, but the situation could be affected by the more than $61 billion US aid package to Ukraine, which has been blocked in Congress by Republicans who support former President Donald Trump.

“Things are not going very well, but it depends on what happens. If aid resumes — and starts coming quickly, all is not lost,” a European source told CNN.

In early March, Kyiv’s allies raised funds for the purchase of 800,000 shells for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

These munitions can reach Ukraine as early as March-April, Bloomberg reports. The Czech Republic initially offered to buy ammunition from outside the EU.

Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, France, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have agreed to participate in this initiative.

According to estimates, Ukraine needs at least 200,000 shells per month to successfully counter the Russian forces.

The lack of ammunition was the main reason for the loss of Avdiivka, which Ukrainian units were forced to leave in mid-February after more than four months of grueling fighting, writes The Moscow Times.

“Ukrainians lack not courage, but ammunition”

NATO countries are not providing Ukraine with “enough ammunition” and this has “consequences every day on the battlefield,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Thursday at a press conference on the occasion of the presentation. of its annual report for 2023, reports AFP, taken over by News.ro.

“Ukrainians do not lack courage, they lack ammunition,” while the member states of the Alliance lack not industrial capabilities, but the “political will” necessary for “making decisions and defining priorities for supporting Ukraine,” the Secretary General noted. NATO noted.

After more than two years of war, the Ukrainian army is undermanned and in need of ammunition and anti-aircraft defense systems to deter the advancing Russian army.

“This is a huge challenge and one of the reasons why the Russians have been able to make some progress on the battlefield,” Jens Stoltenberg said.

“The United States, Canada and Europe must do more, and we need a long-term commitment,” pleaded one who constantly calls on allies to do more for Ukraine.

Zelensky constantly calls for military aid

Fears that Ukraine could be crushed by Russia due to a lack of weapons have grown in recent weeks as Russian forces have made progress on the battlefield.

At the end of February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western allies to provide military aid to his country “on time.”

However, on Tuesday, the White House announced a $300 million (€274 million) package for Ukraine. The package includes anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition and artillery shells.

On Wednesday, the Europeans agreed to add five billion euros to the military aid fund for Ukraine.