Russia To Face Ammunition, Armored Vehicle Shortage By End Of Year: Report

The Russian army may struggle with a shortage of ammunition and armored vehicles by the end of 2022 as the number of equipment destroyed in its war against Ukraine continues to mount, according to a report.

Since the Russians invaded Ukraine in February, it is estimated that they have used at least 7 million shells. The estimate does not include the shells that were lost as a result of Ukrainian strikes destroying frontline ammunition depots. Should the Russian military continue with the same rate of intensity throughout the war, it may suffer shell shortages by the end of the year, according to an analysis by The Insider.

"It turns out that during the six months of aggression against Ukraine, Russia should have spent at least 7 million shells, not counting the losses of frontline depots as a result of Ukrainian strikes. In other words, if the intensity of the war remains at its current level, Moscow will face a tangible shell shortage by the end of 2022 and will have to reduce its use of artillery in order to save munitions," the article read.

Apart from shell shortages, the Russian army may also face problems with the effectiveness of artillery barrels. The author of the article noted that barrels of rifled artillery guns only have a service life of up to 3,000 rounds and tank guns can only be used to fire 210 armor-piercing sub-caliber rounds or 840 rounds of high-explosive and shaped charge rounds.

The Russian army is also facing difficulties in producing more artillery and ammunition after economic sanctions that Moscow received over the invasion cut the country's access to supplies of equipment, spare parts and materials from the West.

The Insider's analysis also found that Russia may face a shortage of armored vehicles as many continue to get destroyed in the war in Ukraine.

"Even taking into account the delivery of relatively fresh, albeit not new, armored vehicles from military units and storage depots, if the high intensity of hostilities is maintained, by the end of 2022 the lion's share of them will have to be repaired. And this is presuming they are not destroyed," the author wrote.

As of Wednesday, the Russian army has lost 1,974 tanks, 4,312 combat armored machines, 1,091 artillery systems and 3,236 vehicles and fuel tanks in the war, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.