On Tuesday, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russia delivered significant blows on Ukraine across the frontline but that weapons supply was key to Moscow’s “special military operation” success.
Shoigu told Russia’s senior military officers that Russian soldiers were battling Ukraine and “unprecedented military assistance from the West” “along the entire line of contact.”
However, Russia was successfully attacking Ukrainian depots storing Western-supplied weapons.
Shoigu said Moscow has increased arms manufacturing to help the fight since Russian forces’ effectiveness “largely depended on the timely replenishment of weapons” and other military equipment.
“The country’s leadership has set defence enterprises the task of increasing the pace and volume of production in a short time,” Shoigu said, according to his ministry’s translation.
Shoigu said the army has enough ammo for the battlefield this year but urged a major rocket company to boost its high-precision missile production immediately.
Russia’s heaviest airstrike on Ukraine in weeks has killed and maimed scores.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, commander of the Wagner private militia, whose forces are attacking Bakhmut, again accused the defense ministry of not providing enough ammunition on Monday. Prigozhin wanted 300 tonnes of artillery ammo each day but barely received a third.
