Gen. Chris Cavoli of U.S. European Command says Russia’s artillery advantage over Ukraine will double within weeks as the latter’s supply shortages persist.
“We’re not talking about months, we’re not talking about what-ifs,” Cavoli said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday, adding that “the biggest killer on the battlefield is artillery in most conflicts, but certainly in this one.” “.
The Russian army currently fires five times more shells than Ukraine. In a few weeks, the ratio could increase to 10:1, Cavoli said. Ukraine had the artillery advantage last summer, but now fires around 2,000 shells while Russia hammers its positions with 10,000 shells every day. The impact of the shortages has been palpable.
“The Ukrainians are sparing their shells in anticipation of stocks running out,” Cavoli said. “The situation is extremely serious.”
Ukrainian servicemen of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade fire a Caesar self-propelled howitzer at Russian troops, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, near the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynsky
The top U.S. general in Europe said U.S. contributions of artillery systems, munitions and air defense interceptors are extremely critical to Ukraine’s defense, but currently Ukraine lacks these two elements.
Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said during the congressional hearing Wednesday that the Ukrainians “have to decide what to defend and that’s why the Russian attacks are successful and actually harm Ukraine’s power grid.” .
Lately, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly Kharkiv. The city was hit by missiles, one-way attack drones and hover bombs, with devastating effects.
Cavoli said Russia’s large-scale air attacks are capable of destroying Ukraine’s economy if Ukraine cannot defend itself with help from U.S. security aid, including about $60 billion have been blocked in Congress for months and are currently awaiting approval in Parliament. Home.
The Ukrainian military relies heavily on drones as an alternative to artillery shells. A NATO official told Foreign Policy this week that the country’s drones were responsible for more than two-thirds of Russian tank destruction.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said unmanned systems cannot replace the weapons Ukraine actually needs, such as artillery, air defense and long-range missiles.
“It is necessary to specifically tell Congress that if Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Zelensky said last Sunday.
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