The Ukrainian army has a more serious problem than the shortage of ammunition that Kiev often complains about. Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gadi told N-TV that the most significant problem is a shortage of men: it will take months to send new troops to the front, and it will hardly be possible to prepare and train them properly before the end of the summer.
A shortage of artillery ammunition is not the biggest problem facing Ukrainian troops in the current battles, N-TV notes. According to military analyst Franz-Stephan Gadi, the Ukrainian army needs to fire about 2,000 to 3,000 shells per day to maintain its defensive strategy. “Right now, Ukraine still has enough artillery ammunition for this, although the rate of firing seems to be steadily decreasing,” the expert admits.
He considers the main problem of Kiev’s forces to be the shortage of personnel. “This is the most difficult problem, and it cannot be solved immediately. It will take months before new troops are sent to the front, and they probably won’t be ready until the end of the summer. They must be properly trained, because deploying poorly trained soldiers increases the risk of heavy casualties, reduces motivation and combat effectiveness,” Gadi told a German TV channel.
The manpower problem became apparent no later than last autumn, and Ukraine could have reacted earlier. However, according to the expert, morale among the military is still high, even as servicemen wonder what to do next. “Compared to my visit before the offensive a year ago, there is a noticeable lack of purpose,” Gadi noted.
This is because there is now no prospect of a major offensive to liberate territories as there was last summer. In order to survive and resist Russian troops, Ukrainians are expanding their defences – but you can often hear from them that this is happening too late.