New York: As Russia braces up to battle Ukraine’s counteroffensive, President Vladimir Putin has made an alarming revelation that his armed forces are running out of weapons and military hardware is needed to win the war.
“During the course of the special military operation, it has become clear that there are shortages of many things – precision-guided munitions, communication equipment, aircraft, drones and so on,” Putin acknowledged at a meeting of pro-war bloggers in the Kremlin this week.
“We have them (weapons), but unfortunately we don’t have enough of them,” he said. Putin also said that Russian troops are in dire need of drones, modern anti-tank weapons and modern tanks. He admitted that the Russian military needs to modernize its weapons if it is to win the battle in Ukraine.
“We do not yet have enough modern arms, but the defense industry and the military-industrial complex are developing rapidly and, I am sure, all the challenges facing our defense industry will definitely be met. We are intensively building up production of modern weapons,” Putin said in a statement posted on the Kremlin website.
He also admitted that the Ukrainian offensive had begun and Russian forces were successfully resisting it. The Russian President further said it was due to “the right command of the troops and the high effectiveness of Russian weapons, especially modern weapons.”
As per reports, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have been hampered due to shortages of precision-guided munitions which is preventing the troops from striking strategic targets at a distance.
According to a report by Politico, Russian forces have unleashed barrages of poorly navigated drones, such as the Iranian-made Shahed-129, and have even resorted to using naval missiles to attack residential buildings.
US announces $325 mn military package for Ukraine
Washington: The United States has announced a new $325 military assistance package for Ukraine as Kyiv’s troops battle Russian forces in a recently launched counteroffensive. The package “will provide $325 million worth of US arms and equipment,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
It “includes critical air defense capabilities, additional munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, and other equipment,” he said.
The Pentagon said the package provides “key capabilities to aid Ukraine’s efforts to retake its sovereign territory and support Ukraine’s air defenders as they bravely protect Ukraine’s soldiers, civilians, and critical infrastructure.”
The assistance includes 25 armored vehicles — 15 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and six Stryker personnel carriers, as well as demolition munitions to clear obstacles, and more than 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades.
The United States has provided more than $40 billion in military aid since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
