By Samya Kullab / The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian firepower has been improving since US lawmakers approved a much-needed military aid package this spring, though not quickly enough to halt the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
A Ukrainian soldier from the 57th Brigade waits for an order for his artillery vehicle to open fire on Russian positions at the front line in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on May 19, 2024.KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian firepower has been improving since US lawmakers approved a much-needed military aid package this spring, though not quickly enough to halt the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s shrinking munitions advantageNew weapons and ammunition have been trickling to the front line since US President Joe Biden signed off on the massive aid package in April. But it will take weeks, if not months, for Ukraine to fully replenish its depleted stocks. But they aren’t nearly enough to hold off Russia’s advances and often aren’t the large calibers that are most needed, said Sekach.
Ukraine’s “elastic band” strategyUkraine has deployed an elastic defensive strategy to buy time until it’s better armed and provisioned. By making painful choices to pull back to better-defended positions, Ukrainian troops are able to fight more efficiently and save personnel, military officials said.
Russia now has about 650,000 troops in Ukraine, which is nearly five times the 140,000 it had there two years ago. And Russian tactical changes have proven effective, sending waves of soldiers from different directions to force Ukrainian forces to expend more shells, attacking more frequently at night to exploit Ukraine’s weaknesses and inability to effectively counterattack, and even having soldiers don blue-striped Ukrainian helmets to confuse enemy drone operators.
So frequent were the attacks on supplies feeding troops in Ninja’s unit’s area that drivers had to change schedules constantly. “You need to know the road perfectly, every crater, to allow a driver with night vision to drive quickly, come in, unload and get out,” he said. Associated Press reporter Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed.
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