Russian Strikes on Ukraine's Ammo Depots to 'Further Deplete' Kiev's Combat Capability

Sputnik News

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Oleg Burunov

Over the past several days, Russian troops have intensified attacks on the Ukrainian army's logistical infrastructure as part of Moscow's ongoing special military operation.

Russian troops have destroyed three railcars with ammunition belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), Vadim Astafyev, head of the Yug (South) battlegroup's press service, told Sputnik on Monday.

He said that the attack on the railcars - part of Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine - was conducted by Yug's missile units on the Avdeyevka front line. This followed a UAF ammo echelon being hit by Russian forces in the Dnepropetrovsk region in south-eastern Ukraine.

"Such strikes have now become more frequent because the focus is now being placed on weakening UAF ability to conduct intense warfare," Boris Rozhin, a military expert with the Center for Military-Political Journalism, an independent Russian military affairs think tank, said in an interview with Sputnik.

He added that staging attacks without munitions is a tricky task, which is why "we currently witness the [Russian army's] hunt for [the UAF's] ammo depots and echelons."

"The destruction of such a facility creates at least temporary logistical problems [for the enemy] pertaining to transportation and storage, among other troubles. This, of course, makes it difficult for the enemy to go ahead with conducting combat operations," Rozhin stressed, adding that the Russian strikes are "quite effective and seriously affect the UAF's combat capability.

He was echoed by Earl Rasmussen, an international consultant and a retired US Army lieutenant colonel, who told Sputnik that he thinks "it's a wise move to eliminate" UAF munition depots "before they have a chance to be used."

"That's just going to further deplete the capabilities of the Ukrainian forces. I mean, if you don't have any ammunition, it doesn't do much good having a Leopard tank out there or a howitzer artillery, [because] you just become [...] a sitting target," Rasmussen pointed out.

The remarks come after a US broadcaster reported last month that the US and NATO grapple with the "dwindling supply of artillery ammunition" for Ukraine. The broadcaster cited unnamed officials as saying that the US "has been nearing that red line as it has continued to supply Ukraine with 155mm ammunition, the NATO standard used for artillery rounds."

US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told the news network that even though the US began ramping up ammunition production last year, munitions would still take "years" to mass produce to acceptable levels.

This unfolds amid Kiev's botched counteroffensive, which was launched on June 4 after multiple delays. Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, Ukraine has lost over 43,000 troops and 4,900 units of military equipment, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Â© Sputnik

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