Ukraine triples arms production amid ongoing conflict, anticipating increase in ammunition

In recent months, multiple reports have emerged in Ukrainian and Western media highlighting the significant requirements of the Ukrainian armed forces, particularly in terms of artillery ammunition.

Major Tanel Tatsi, commander of the Estonian army's artillery forces, believes that the shortage of artillery and anti-aircraft missiles forced the Ukrainian army to retreat from Avdiivka in the Donetsk region around mid-February.

Ukraine's Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, has reported that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, confirmed the delivery of the first instalment of a new aid package for Ukraine in March, amounting to approximately £3.8 billion. This comes as part of a larger aid package, which is worth about £42.5 billion.

Shmyhal and von der Leyen held discussions about financial aid for Ukraine, Ukrainian exports, and defence industry cooperation in Kyiv on Saturday. This was reported by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

"We discussed our cooperation in the defence sector and planned the next steps of the Ukraine Facility initiative which funds approximately £42.5 billion over four years. Ms Ursula confirmed that the first instalment of around £3.8 billion will be delivered in March," Shmyhal stated on Telegram.

In February 2022, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine from the north, east, and south, making unsuccessful attempts to capture several locations, including Ukraine's capital, Kiev. By April of the same year, the Russian forces were ousted from the north of the country, which included the region of Kiev. During an autumn counteroffensive, Ukrainians reclaimed some of the regions earlier seized in the southern and eastern parts of the country, predominantly in the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.

The counteroffensive initiated by Ukraine in June 2023, however, did not result in any significant gains. The conflict has since turned into a series of positional battles, focused on strategic points in the Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in over 10,000 civilian casualties, with at least twice that number injured, and forced millions of Ukrainians to evacuate. Disruptions to Ukrainian grain shipments sparked a food crisis in the world's poorest regions, while the energy crisis caused by the war led to price increases in numerous countries.

According to data from American and British intelligence, Russian military casualties range from 300,000-350,000 dead and injured soldiers. On the Ukrainian side, there are at least 200,000 casualties, but the exact number cannot be determined.