As the Russian military operation entered its second month without Moscow declaring any objectives achieved yet, a Western report claimed that the arming of Russian troops with missiles and tanks is beginning to run low amid the heavy shelling of many Ukrainian cities. High-level defense sources reported that the crisis in restocking weapons will affect the production of T-72 battle tanks, one of the main armored vehicles of the Russian army, as the systems launching their projectiles are manufactured in the city of Izyum, eastern Ukraine, which Russian forces have so far failed to capture.
Intelligence estimates indicated that Russia has already lost 2,000 tanks and armored vehicles during the battles, according to the British newspaper "Telegraph."
Regarding cruise missiles, sources claimed that Russia will also be unable to restock the Kh-55 air-launched cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, as they rely on imported components. The sources told the "Telegraph" that the Kh-55 missiles used by Russia, China, and Iran employ engines made in the city of Kharkiv. The newspaper also clarified that all Russian missiles launched from helicopters and ships utilize Ukrainian-made engines.
Sources stated that the current stock levels of the Russian army are "extremely poor" following President Vladimir Putin’s inability to achieve his goals in Ukraine as quickly as many analysts had expected.
Western sanctions will prevent Russia from purchasing weapons from France, which supplied Moscow with equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western nations to continue supplying his forces with "lethal weapons," including missiles and other arms for use against Russian troops.
It is noteworthy that the Russian military possesses precision-guided missiles, Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets, the Su-24 bomber equipped with "Hephaestus" targeting systems, as well as the "Night Hunter" and "Crocodile" helicopters, in addition to drones. It also has the "Iskander" missile system, designed in the 1990s and entered service in the Russian army in 2006.
