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Ukraine is relying on unused shells left behind by the Russian military as it faces ammunition shortages and further aid from the West has stalled.
Soldiers like Max Poliukovich comb Ukraine’s Eastern Front, looking for unexploded mines and shells to be repurposed into Ukraine’s dwindling military arsenal. wall street journal report.
Poliukovic, known as “Mad Max” to his fellow troops, told the newspaper he estimated he was supplying the brigade with at least 14,000 artillery shells and 4,000 rounds of drone ammunition.
As Ukraine war intensifies, officials and war analysts warn that Ukraine faces munitions shortages while Russian manufacturers produce up to seven times more ammunition than Western arms makers are doing. The newspaper reported that Ukrainian military commanders estimate that Russia has fired about five times as many shells as Ukraine.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House press briefing in March: “If the Russians move in and the guns fire, Ukraine doesn’t have enough ammunition to fight back.” Ta. “It costs terrain, it costs lives. It costs us, the United States, and the NATO alliance strategic costs.”
As Republicans withhold U.S. funding to Ukraine, Ukrainian troops on the battlefield are relying on military officials like Polyukhovich to help find more shells and unexploded mines that can be reused in artillery. Yes, the newspaper reported.
Polyukhovich told the Journal that he would scavenge swamps and search houses in villages in areas where Russian troops had retreated.
Poliuhoichi with an unexploded anti-tank mine According to the Journal, the powder inside the explosives will be extracted and reused in bombs dropped by drones.
Officers from the 92nd Assault Brigade told the publication that Poliuhovich alone provided more than 8,000 shells to the troops.
Other brigades are also sending deminers to Poliuhovic to train him to learn how to find more ammunition, the Journal said.
But even with Poliukhovich, the Ukrainian army always needs more ammunition, the Journal reported.
“If we send 100 rounds, the next day we receive a call asking for more ammunition,” Poliukhovich told the newspaper.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.