2024-07-13 07:23:57
NATO has admitted that Russia has rebuilt its war machine faster than expected. According to Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiunas, the production of artillery shells is an important indicator. According to them, the Kremlin started this at a dizzying pace, wrote the American website Business Insider.
A Russian weapon that uses 152mm cartridges is the 2A36 Hyacint-B howitzer from the Soviet Union. Shoots even in severe frosts and devastating heat. | Video: Reuters
The proof should be the production statistics of the key artillery ammunition. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia produced up to 400,000 pieces of 152mm rounds per year. These can be fired from Soviet-era towed howitzer guns. However, according to Kasčiunas, this number has since swelled to 2 million cartridges per year. “It’s going pretty fast for them,” he said during a discussion around the time of the NATO summit in Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken significant steps to bring the country’s economy to what experts describe as “Soviet martial law.” This spring, for example, he changed the composition of the military leadership to increase the mass production of weapons, writes Business Insider.
Despite Western efforts to inflict economic pain on Russia due to its aggression in Ukraine, such as sanctions, according to Kasciunas, Russia’s “wartime economy has recovered faster than we expected.” According to the server, American representatives and generals also offered a similar assessment.
A key indicator is the increased production of artillery shells. The production of 152mm Russian missiles exceeds the estimates of the production of 155mm missiles according to NATO standards. For example, in Europe, the annual production of this type of artillery ammunition is less than 600,000 rounds, and in the USA it is under 350,000 rounds.
Kasčiunas said that Putin invested a large part of the country’s GDP – reportedly almost 7 percent – on war spending. According to the Lithuanian, he will have to keep the economy on this path. If he wanted to bring it back to the pre-war level, Russia would find itself in crisis. “For that, it needs to have an enemy – to have challenges. Now it’s Ukraine. Maybe then someone else,” Kasciunas said.
The Lithuanian minister was supported in his claim by his counterparts from Estonia and Latvia. All three countries stand on the front lines of NATO and Russia and are loyal supporters of Ukraine. They fear that Putin might target them in the future.
Because these Baltic states have also become the target of hybrid attacks by neighboring Russia, they have long been promoting an increase in defense spending among NATO members and want the military alliance to be able to deter Russia and possibly defend against Putin’s major attack on Europe, writes the American server.
According to Kasčiunas, in this case it is necessary to strengthen air defense and focus on the production of long-range ammunition. The Baltics are already implementing several initiatives to help eliminate these shortcomings. “We are moving forward, but only one step at a time,” Kasčiunas said.
Disturbing events in the Urals. Putin is no longer only interested in Ukraine, analysts fear. (Full article with video here)
Putin preached to the changed government: “It is necessary to open up the Ministry of Defense as much as possible”. | Video: Reuters