Ukrainian frontline troops are experiencing a shortage of artillery shells and are forced to reduce their military operations in some areas of the front, Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told Reuters.

“There is a problem with ammunition, especially with post-Soviet 122 mm, 152 mm. And today these problems exist along the entire length of the front,” he said in an interview with Reuters after Republicans in the US Congress refused to pass a new large-scale military aid package for Ukraine, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked the package. assistance prepared by the European Commission for Kyiv.

Tarnawski said the shortage of artillery shells was a “very big problem” and that the reduction in Western military support was affecting the battlefield.

“Volumes [de proiectile] what we have today is not enough for us today considering our needs. Therefore, we redistribute them. We are rescheduling the tasks that we have outlined and reducing them because we have to be able to support them,” he added, without going into details.

Reuters notes that his statements again highlight Ukraine’s dependence on Western military aid to fight along the front line, which stretches for almost 1,000 kilometers.

At the same time, the Ukrainian general noted that Russian troops also have problems with ammunition, but did not specify their nature. Tarnavskyi also reported that the tired Ukrainian troops went on the defensive in some areas of the front in the southeast of the country, but continued to attack others.

The officer also noted that Kyiv troops are still counting on victories, but they will be helped by a period of rest and rotation on the front line.

General Tarnavskyi is now the commander of the defenders of Avdiivka

“In some areas, we went on the defensive, and in others we continue offensive actions through maneuvers, fire and offensive. And we are preparing our reserves for our future large-scale actions,” he said.

The commander of the Tavria operational group, Tarnavskyi, led the counteroffensive that forced Russian troops to leave the western bank of the Dnieper and the city of Kherson in November 2022, which was also the last major victory of the Ukrainian armed forces on the battlefield.

It also played a major role in Ukraine’s offensive this summer in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is riddled with minefields and multi-layered defenses built by the Russian military.

Tarnavskyi is also now in charge of the defense of Avdiivka in the east of the country, where Russian forces have been attacking in waves for several months.

“Their intentions are unchanged. The only difference is that their actions change, their tactics change (…) attacks are carried out constantly,” he said about the efforts of the Russian military around Avdiivka.

The Ukrainian general also told Reuters that the situation on this part of the front is changing “every day and every night”, the Russians are achieving “partial success in some areas, up to 1.5-2 kilometers deep”.

“I think that today we firmly stick to these lines. Now the enemy is pressing us with its numbers. They have never cared and will never care for their people,” he added.

Military analysts see Avdiyivka as a crucial city for the plans of the military command in Moscow to fully seize the territories of the so-called “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Vladimir Putin declared annexed to Russia last September. but which the Russian military does not fully control.

Rest is another problem for the Ukrainian military after months of heavy fighting

Tarnavskyi says that all Ukrainian brigades are trying to find a solution to give their fighters a moment of rest.

“Today we have certain difficulties with the personnel who are on the front line. Today they are not so fresh and not so rested,” he says and adds that “every commander should have a backup.”

The general also explained that the cold, low visibility and lack of cover by foliage are problems for both sides as winter sets in on the front.

“But we have many years of experience in conducting military operations in winter conditions. In connection with the arrival of winter, logistics and evacuation and transfer of equipment and personnel are complicated,” Tarnavskyi also explained.

Instead, he is counting on the arrival of F-16s promised by the West, as Russia has regained its lead on drones and now appears to have even surpassed it.

“Present [avioanelor] The F-16 will completely change that. From my point of view as an infantry officer, the F-16 is like a Mercedes compared to a Zaporozhets (not an old model Soviet passenger car). Everyone has hopes,” said the Ukrainian general.

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