Russia To Start Rationing Its Most Important Weapons

Russia To Start Rationing Its Most Important Weapons

(RightWing.org) – With the war between Russia and Ukraine entering its second year, the odds of a quick resolution to the conflict appear slim. The United Kingdom (UK) recently announced its assessment that Russia has started rationing some of its most important weapons.

On March 14, the UK’s Defense Ministry released an intelligence update explaining that Russian stockpiles of artillery ammunition have “likely worsened” to the point that the military is likely rationing shells in many areas along the battlefront. According to the Defense Intelligence service’s Probability Yardstick, that means the likelihood it started holding back on using artillery shells ranges between 55% and 75%.

The update also noted Russia has “almost certainly” started resorting to using old munition stockpiles “previously categorized as unfit for use.” This assessment carries a probability of between 95% to 100%.

The following day, the UK’s military advisor, Ian Stubbs, addressed Russia’s military and defense industry failures in Ukraine during a speech he presented before the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OECD). With 57 member states, including the United States, the OECD is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental group granted observer status by the United Nations.

Stubbs presented a much grimmer analysis of Russian munitions shortages. According to him, Russia’s long-range strikes against Ukraine on March 9 represented the first such offensive since February 16.

The defense advisor attributed the long interval between large attack waves to a shortage of military stockpiles and supplies. Stubbs explained that Russia used “at least 80 projectiles” in its latest attack, including air defense missiles, cruise missiles, and Iranian-supplied unmanned aerial vehicles.

Continuing his speech, Stubbs said Russia had also depleted equipment and supplies at the front lines. As a result, it started using antiquated munitions like the “60-year-old” T-62 Soviet medium battle tanks. Likewise, it has deployed BTR-50 Soviet tracked amphibious armored personnel carriers, which date back to the early 1950s.

Stubbs concluded his remarks by pointing out the importance of giving Ukraine the necessary support to defend itself and ultimately force Russian troops out of its sovereign territory.

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