Restrictions on Russia’s arms supply and the effects of Western sanctions mean Moscow must move missiles from other parts of the country to Ukraine, officials said on Friday. “Their stock is limited, they are running out and we see them having to move Kalibr missiles from other strategic directions where they can be stored,” said a Western official, referring to cruise missiles being launched from the sea. “This gives you some indication that their stock of precision weapons is declining.” The estimate comes as the US and its European allies intensify efforts to arm Kyiv and anticipate a protracted conflict, with the Biden government seeking to send an additional $ 33 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. It also comes as the Kremlin continues to fight on the ground in Ukraine, with the Pentagon saying it believes Russia is at least several days behind its goal of encircling Ukrainian forces in Donbas. “We believe that they intended to go far beyond the complete encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the east and failed to connect the north with the south,” said a senior US defense official. “In fact, it is nowhere near the connection between the North and the South, as the Ukrainians continue to counterattack.” Most of the Russian strikes are concentrated in the eastern part of Ukraine’s Donbass region and in the coastal city of Mariupol, the US official said, adding that most of the decree was a “stupid decree, not exactly”. “We believe this speaks volumes about the challenges facing the Russians [precision-guided munitions] “replacement,” the US official said. The Western official said Russia’s difficulties in supplying guided weapons were caused by both the “quality of its industrial base” and Western sanctions, which “limit their ability to produce more capacity at a time when they need to be effective.” on the battlefield “. Russia’s progress in Donbass has been “slow and uneven” as its forces encounter fierce Ukrainian resistance and try to learn from the mistakes of the past, the US official said. They have made limited progress to the southeast and southwest of Izyum and to the towns of Slovyansk and Barvinkove. The United States believes that Russia is trying to move forces north of Mariupol, but progress there is also slow, the US official added. Elsewhere, Russian forces have targeted central and western Ukraine with bombs to try to prevent Ukraine from replenishing and reinforcing its troops on the south and east sides, the official said. The recent strikes in Kyiv were aimed at targeting military production capacity and attacks that hit residential areas “could have been accidents,” the official said.
