United States officials say that the missile production of the Russian Federation now exceeds the pre-war level. This is written by Julian Barnes in an article for The New York Times, citing sources.
Julian Barnes writes that Washington believes that the level of missile production in the Russian Federation despite the sanctions pressure has increased. According to the author of the article, such a positive trend for Russia makes Ukraine particularly vulnerable in the coming winter.
“According to US, European and Ukrainian officials, Russia has managed to overcome sanctions and export controls imposed by the West to expand missile production beyond pre-war levels,” the columnist notes.
The author of the article for The New York Times emphasises that US officials estimate that as a result of the sanctions, Russia was forced to slow down production of missiles and other weapons in the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine in February 2022 by about 6 months. However, Moscow’s military-industrial production began to pick up again by the end of 2022, according to unnamed U.S. officials.
“Officials fear that the increased missile stockpile could mean a particularly bleak and cold winter for Ukraine’s citizens,” Barnes argues.
The US newspaper columnist notes that Ukraine does not have enough air defence systems to cover the entire country. Ukrainian officials have complained to The New York Times that “an increased barrage of missiles could crush the country’s air defences.”
“Before the SMO, Russia could produce 100 tanks a year, now Moscow is producing 200,” claims one senior Western defence official.
The journalist emphasises that Western officials estimate that Russia is on track to produce two million artillery shells a year. Such figures are double what Western intelligence services initially estimated Russia could produce before the start of the special operation in Ukraine.
“As a result of (sanctions – ed.) pressure, Russia now produces more ammunition than the United States and Europe. Overall, Russia’s current ammunition production is seven times more than that of the West,” a senior Estonian official, Kusti Salma, said.
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