Ukraine’s ammunition shortage has left its troops with no other choice but to focus on accuracy with the aid of drones.
Using drones alongside artillery boosts accuracy by 250 percent, an artilleryman fighting on the edge of Avdiivka told Politico.
“Because of the constant shell deficit, we are forced to learn to shoot better than the norm. And we learned,” the trooper said.
Drones have become an essential element of artillery for both armies in Ukraine. They act like a forward spotter to find targets such as armored vehicles or dug-in positions and adjust the aim of the first round so subsequent ones land directly against it; they also spare rounds by giving commanders a view of the damage to know if more shells are needed.
While Ukraine’s military awaits more funding, it has decided to increase its production of shells without disclosing the output.
The push to conserve as much ammunition as possible comes after Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, said the military must master the technology it has and pivot to restructuring defense.
“Perhaps the number one priority here is mastery of an entire arsenal of (relatively) cheap, modern and highly effective, unmanned vehicles and other technological means,” Zaluzhny, who is now awaiting dismissal, wrote in an essay for CNN.
Ukraine’s fight has depended on funding from Western powers, but critical military aid from the US is currently stuck in Congress.
“On average, we fire 15 shots per day. But there were days when we made more than 100 shots, or haven’t made any at all,” one soldier told Politico. “Now hostilities intensified in our direction, but we have as few shells as we used to have.”
Now facing shell hunger, Ukrainian armed forces cannot fire more than 2,000 shells per day, a fraction of Russia’s capacity.
The Russian military has been able to effectively restock its troops because of its significant advantages in industry, material resources, and labor, as well as huge shipments from North Korea. Although it also faces significant casualties, Russia can continue its offensive campaign as it can produce 100 tanks a month.
Russia is also expected to receive millions of shells from North Korea, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Thursday statement.
“Meanwhile, unfortunately, the implementation of the European plan to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine is being delayed,” Zelenskyy said.
