Russia is running out of ammunition after the nearly ten-month invasion, and has resorted to decades-old stockpiles with low accuracy, writes Reuters.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: «They have drawn from aging ammunition stockpile, which does indicate that they are willing to use that older ammunition, some of which was originally produced more than 40 years ago.»
The US accuses Russia of asking for weapons from North Korea and Iran. The official stated that by the beginning of 2023, Russia will have used up all the ammunition that can be considered fully usable, unless it receives help from other countries or starts using older stocks. However, using older ammunition has its risks:
«In other words, you load the ammunition and you cross your fingers and hope it’s going to fire or when it lands that it’s going to explode.»
Ukraine and the United States report that Iran has supplied drones to Russia. At the beginning of December, Iran admitted that it had supplied Moscow with drones, but this allegedly happened even before the invasion of Ukraine.
Barbara Woodward, Britain’s UN representative, said Moscow was also seeking to obtain ballistic missiles from Tehran, promising military and technical assistance in return. She stated that Great Britain is convinced that Russia is looking for opportunities to get weapons from North Korea and other countries against which severe sanctions are directed.
Russia denies that it is using Iranian drones for attacks in Ukraine or that it is getting help from North Korea.
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