A high-quality mockup of the 152 mm D-20 howitzer, created for the Ukrainian army.

Military Informant

https://t.me/milinfolive/117747

wonder what her next gig will be. She looks like someone who'd have a melt down at a retail return counter. Maybe she will regime change Kohls for not refunding partially used candles or something. To be real, she will probably go to a think tank like the Atlantic council.

A Ukrainian FPV drone got stuck in the windshield of the Aida group's car and did not detonate.
Previously, a similar case of luck occurred with the driver of one of the KAMAZ trucks.




Military Informant

https://t.me/milinfolive/117744

Video
https://twitter.com/conflict_live/status/1765203640267223142

\uD83D\uDCA5 Russia: Thermal power plant exploded in Tyva. pic.twitter.com/WZCjN1dy5u

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) March 6, 2024

An explosion at the Shagonarskaya CHPP in the Ulug-Khem district of Tuva occurred at a fuel supply point with a belt container. The boilers of the thermal power plant are intact, the district administration reports on its page on VKontakte.

https://t.me/tass_agency/235065


A criminal case has been opened following an accident at the Shagonara thermal power plant in Tuva, reports the Investigative Committee for the republic.

https://t.me/tass_agency/235067


A fire occurred in a private boarding house in Voronezh, about 50 patients were evacuated. Governor Alexander Gusev announced this in his Telegram channel.

https://t.me/tass_agency/235068

More video

In Tuva Russia, a powerful explosion occurred at a thermal power plant, at least 18 people were injured \uD83E\uDD37
According to Russia, all four boilers are okay \uD83E\uDD37 pic.twitter.com/wfPI7FGruW

— Kvist.P\uD83D\uDC99\uD83D\uDC9B??\uD83C\uDDE9\uD83C\uDDF0 (@kvistp) March 6, 2024

Today, as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian drone in the Zheleznogorsk area, a fire broke out at a fuel and lubricants warehouse. The fuel tank is on fire, governor Roman Starovoyt of the Kursk oblast said. pic.twitter.com/3bGgQrascb

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) March 6, 2024

Video footage of a burning fuel tank. https://t.co/L7f0wmlCPk pic.twitter.com/JqJqXTiPQa

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) March 6, 2024

Additional footage. pic.twitter.com/1KzQZTBmoT

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) March 6, 2024

#Summary for the morning of March 6, 2024

▪️At night, the Geranium UAV attacked Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in the Odessa region. Once again, enemy air defense operated from urban areas, indicating the habitual placement of military installations among civilian ones.

▪️In the Kherson direction there are battles in Krynki, the enemy is trying to increase artillery and drone attacks on our positions in the forest and on the outskirts of the village. The Russian Armed Forces intensified work on targets in the area of ​​Stanislav and the Dnieper estuary.

▪️On the Zaporozhye Front, the Russian Army concentrated its main efforts in the Rabotino area. Assault groups of our troops operate in the area of ​​the village center near the school, replacing each other. The front, according to our servicemen, resembles a “layer cake” - the LBS is not static. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are mining the area, bringing in reserves and armored vehicles.

▪️In the Vremevsky direction, our troops are destroying field warehouses with ammunition and hitting enemy positions.

▪️To the north of Marinka - battles in Krasnogorovka, to the west - battles in Georgievka with the task of breaking through to Kurakhovo, to the south - the battle in Novomikhailovka.

▪️West of Avdeevka in the Berdychi area, the third Abrams tank was destroyed (plus a mine clearance vehicle based on this tank was previously destroyed). The enemy is conducting a maneuverable defense, but comes under fire from our troops when trying to counterattack with armored groups. There are battles in Tonenkoye, near Orlovka and Semyonovka

▪️In the Krasnolimansky direction, the advance of our troops in the area of ​​the settlement. Terny was several hundred meters away, enemy strongholds were taken.

▪️Border areas of the Belgorod region are under daily attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. An aircraft-type UAV was shot down in the Grayvoronsky urban district. In Novopetrovka, Valuysk urban district, a UAV dropped an explosive device on a car. In Novaya Tavolzhanka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a truck carrying civilians with a kamikaze drone, but there were no casualties. In the village of Mukhin, Shebekinsky urban district, a power line was damaged by shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

▪️The enemy fired 62 shells at the civilian population of the DPR. In Verkhnetoretskoye, a man born in 1980 was injured as a result of a kamikaze UAV attack on the Yasinovataya-Gorlovka highway. In Gorlovka, a boiler room operator, a woman born in 1972, was wounded. as a result of a Nazi artillery strike.

The summary was compiled by: Two majors

https://t.me/dva_majors/35893



⚡️Frontline report for the morning 03/06/2024⚡️

On the Zaporozhye front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to counterattack in the area of ​​the village of Rabotino, with the goal of dislodging Russian troops from previously occupied lines on the southern outskirts of the village. Artillery is actively working on both sides.

The active offensive of the Russian Armed Forces continues in the Donetsk direction. Despite the stubborn resistance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Krasnogorovka, our troops managed to gain a foothold on the southern outskirts of the city. The situation is similar in Georgievka, where the RF Armed Forces are advancing deeper into the village.
Fierce oncoming battles are taking place in Berdychi and Pobeda, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to bring in reserves there. Russian troops also managed to advance in Novomikhailovka.

In the Bakhmut direction, the RF Armed Forces continue assault operations in Ivanovskoye (Krasnoye), where, unlike Bogdanovka, in the area of ​​which the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to temporarily stabilize the front at the expense of reserves, the initiative remains entirely with the RF Armed Forces.

In the Lugansk direction, Russian troops, with the support of artillery, continue successful assault operations near Yampolevka and Ternov. Fierce fighting continues in the Tabaevka area, as a result of which the Russian Armed Forces abandoned some of the previously occupied positions.

https://t.me/wargonzo/18584

From the certificate of the Russian Guard, it is clear what the most important objects in St. Petersburg are, which are protected by air defense and fall into the drone suppression zone.

In connection with the move of the Constitutional Court to St. Petersburg, the judges were allocated housing on Kamenny Island (it is under full protection). The K-2 state residence is also located there. Next door is Krestovsky Island, on which the Zenit Arena (or as it is usually called the Gazprom Arena) was built. The Gazprom office also falls into the air defense coverage square. (Also protected by a UAV suppression system).

https://t.me/vchkogpu/46316



Sources of the Cheka-OGPU report on the disbandment of the base of the so-called Wagner PMC as part of the volunteer corps of the Russian Guard in the Cossack camps near Rostov.

According to interlocutors, this began about a week ago, when those who responded to the call of the head of the PMC with the call sign Lotus and the commanders loyal to him began to disperse to other units due to long periods of downtime.

The newly appointed chief of the mercenaries was unable to agree on decent financing for the company (according to some associates, Lotus was initially aimed at a commercial project - to make the most of the Wagner brand) and is now forced to hand over the tent camp along with the base to the Russian Guards.

In closed groups of musicians they criticize the boss to the fullest: against the backdrop of failure, he is reminded of all the failures from the very beginning of the existence of PMC Wagner. Colleagues reproach Lotus for cowardice and in some places even accuse him of cowardice: they say that some who were with him in the Central African Republic cannot forgive him for losing people from malaria, allegedly in a hurry he did not take any measures, while demanding that combat missions be completed. Or in the absence of the desire to go into battle on the front line.

When asked why dissatisfaction with the holder of a platinum hero star (the highest award of a PMC) arose only now, the interlocutors answered that before the failure no one dared to “go against” the last will of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who allegedly bequeathed command to Lotus in the event of the death of him and Dmitry Utkin .

Let us recall that a month ago the Cheka-OGPU reported that Lotus had disappeared from communication and his position was deteriorating. He really wasn’t in the camp for almost a week, and he didn’t get in touch. A few days after our publication, the “bruised” Lotus made an entry about the “Decepticons” and plans to gather a 45,000-strong group in the tents of Cossack camps near Rostov. Now the tower is close to closing.

In addition, according to information from interlocutors, there are also mercenaries in suitcases in the camp in Belarus - allegedly after local military personnel pass the exam, the group will also be disbanded.

https://t.me/vchkogpu/46355



As the Cheka-OGPU learned, six servicemen were injured during a night attack on the warship Sergei Kotov.
They tried to tow the ship with holes to the port, but at a distance of 5 km. off Cape Takil it sank.

A source from the Cheka-OGPU shared information from internal messages from security forces about the attack on the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov”.

At 01:18, the duty officer of the joint group of troops for the defense of the Crimean Peninsula reported that the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship "Sergei Kotov" (crew of 65 people) at 00:48 requested help due to the fact that at 00:47 it was attacked in Kerch strait (9 km southeast of Cape Takil). The attack was carried out by five unidentified unmanned boats. There were several hits in the stern and engine compartment.

At 01:32, 2 tugboats arrived at the patrol ship, 55 personnel were evacuated (another 10 remained on board for towing to the port), of which: 6 crew members were injured of varying degrees of severity. There were no reports of deaths. At 04:48, the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship "Sergei Kotov" was at a distance of 5 km. from Cape Takil sank.

https://t.me/vchkogpu/46358

“They told him that he would help in a government agency.” How Russia is luring Indians to fight in Ukraine

India's Ministry of External Affairs said last week it was seeking the "expeditious release from service" of about 20 Indians who had joined the Russian army "to work as support personnel or assistants." In fact, many were forced to undergo military training and thrown into battle, The Indian Express found.

The newspaper was able to find eight people who found themselves on the Ukrainian front and talk to their relatives. According to one of those who went to war, there he met another group of compatriots, another said that there were 11 more Indians with him. Of the Indians found by the newspaper, one died from a drone strike, and two others were wounded in the leg.

Everyone was lured to work in Russia with high salaries and the promise of citizenship. There was no talk of sending them to Ukraine or even to the occupied territories. Many were attracted through Dubai.

Relatives of several other Indians caught up in the war said that they were recruited through the Baba Vlogs YouTube channel. He offered work in Dubai, and when the Indians got there, they were offered to sign contracts to work as cleaners in Moscow. But upon arrival in Russia, they were sent straight to a military training center.

Mohammed Sufyan, 23, was already working in Dubai, earning the equivalent of 30,000 rupees (about $360) a month. Through a YouTube channel he met its host. Sufyan’s brother said: “He was brainwashed, offering him a job in Moscow. They said that they would help in a Russian government agency. They promised more than 100,000 rupees per month (more than $1,200) and citizenship in a year.”

https://t.me/moscowtimes_ru/19880
Video

Seven Indian citizens published a video message in which they said they were being forced to fight for russia in Ukraine. They came to russia to celebrate the New Year in December 2023 and ended up being forced to serve in the russian army. \uD83D\uDE02 pic.twitter.com/ByWLMPFJmt

— Roman Sheremeta \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@rshereme) March 6, 2024

Russian regions are massively increasing payments to those recruited for war

Russian regions are increasing payments to those recruited for the war. Thus, in the Yaroslavl region, the lump sum payment upon concluding a contract for military service has been increased from 405 to 505 thousand rubles (of which 195 thousand rubles will be a federal payment, 310 thousand - regional). This was stated by the regional governor Mikhail Evraev. In Adygea, those who signed a contract and went to the front will be paid up to 800 thousand rubles. “The size of the one-time regional payment has increased by 200 thousand rubles and amounts to 500 thousand,” said the Committee of the Republic of Adygea on Nationalities Affairs. — Additional payments are also provided in the municipalities of Adygea - from 100 to 105 thousand rubles. Therefore, taking into account the federal payment in the amount of 195 thousand, Russians who signed a contract at the military commissariats of Adygea now receive up to 800 thousand rubles at a time.”

In the Bryansk region, from February 1, 2024, the size of a one-time cash payment to those who entered into a contract has been increased from 200 to 400 thousand rubles, and in the Sverdlovsk region - from 20 to 100 thousand rubles (excluding the federal payment of 195 thousand rubles).

Since January 1, 2024, more than 53 thousand people have entered military service under contract in Russia, said Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. At the same time, by the end of the year, Russian officials plan to recruit about 400 thousand contract soldiers for the war in Ukraine, writes journalist Farida Rustamova, citing a source familiar with the plans of the country’s military leadership.

https://t.me/moscowtimes_ru/19893

New footage from NATO’s exercise Nordic Response 24, showing Swedish and Finnish marines conducting maritime operations in the Norwegian Arctic on CB-90 fast attack boats.

Ukraine will receive 13 CB-90s in the near future, supplied by Sweden and the Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/4sWqdDXdB4

OSINTtechnical  (@Osinttechnical) March 6, 2024

Here we go pic.twitter.com/AUHpqURhXz

IgorGirkin  (@GirkinGirkin) March 5, 2024

Here is a closer look at some of Russia's defensive lines in occupied eastern Ukraine.

Check out the full interactive map and satellite imagery of Russian defenses in and around Ukraine here: https://t.co/JGlYbCrrUE pic.twitter.com/bcyHHGrZB3

Brady Africk  (@bradyafr) March 5, 2024

https://read.bradyafrick.com/p/russian-field-fortifications-in-ukraine

?? Air raid alert has been declared in all regions of Ukraine! Please, proceed to the shelters! pic.twitter.com/KorZoljARC

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) March 6, 2024

‼️As of now, the firing of the Kh-47 "Kinzhal" missile from the MiG-31K has NOT been recorded.
The MiG-31K took off from the Savasleyka air base.

Stay in shelters until the strike 🙏

UPD: 2 MiG-31K in the air.
https://t.me/povitryanatrivogaaa/80542



📢 Countering the MiG-31K threat.
https://t.me/kpszsu/11488

RIM-162  missile?

How feasible would it be to upgrade Ukraine's Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters with western avionics and systems? I know the Israeli company Elta has a scalable AESA radar for example. The smaller version fits into the nose of the F-16, so it should fit a MiG-29. But they can go larger with a radar capable of housing about 1500 T/R modules, which would be akin to the APG-63v3 or APG-70 used in upgraded F-15s in terms of power. Such a radar combined with the ability to fire the AIM-120 would give these old Soviet Cold War era fighters a much more vicious bite and allow them to surprise the hell out of the Russians. I believe some Israeli company actually offers such retrofits like this for the MiG-29, so it would seem doable. I guess the question is, with the age of Ukraine's Soviet era fighters, would the cost of making these upgrades be worth it?

BLUF, no. At this point, rushing F-16s to Ukraine is the fastest and easiest process. The time for Ukraine to upgrade it's Fulcrums and Flankers with Israeli built AESA radars, jammers and Derby/Python missiles should've been done years and years ago.

I'm gonna wait for the day shift guys on that one

The 3rd Assault Brigade continues to expand. It now has a 'Battalion of Unmanned Systems'. A recent release of their work near Avdiivka.
BTW. Call sign 'Zev' looks totally dedicated to 'Orc' elimination. Interested to see if a new 'Madyar' will emerge. https://t.co/xvhOWl0E46

Dan  (@Danspiun) March 5, 2024

Footage of the effective use of FPV drones by the 3rd Assault Brigade's UAV Battalion near Avdiivka: enemy attack repelled, resulting in 15 enemy deaths. The enemy platoon was completely destroyed from a distance. Annotation provided. pic.twitter.com/GIg7bJB8GR

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) March 5, 2024

How is it going? pic.twitter.com/Cg5rBfZhxc

PS01  (@PStyle0ne1) March 6, 2024

??A camouflage net saved the \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian military from a \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFARussian FPV kamikaze drone pic.twitter.com/fIAQdqTB4g

— \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) March 6, 2024

FPV strike unit of the 47th Mechanized Brigade attacking Russian infantry in the Avdiivka sector. Interestingly, Russians were carrying jamming systems on their backs but this couldn't prevent them from being hit.
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1765312165429358683

\uD83D\uDD25\uD83D\uDD25\uD83D\uDD25

Work of the \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8US-supplied M2A2 «Bradley» IFV of the \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian 47th Mechanised Brigade in Avdiivka direction.

25mm «Bushmaster» cannon against \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFARussian BMP-2 and positions\uD83D\uDD25 pic.twitter.com/YFsWhFcUH6

— Cloooud |\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@GloOouD) March 6, 2024

India is updating their SU-30s with domestic avionics. I saw a price of $30m a unit. At some point you’re better off just buying newer aircraft.

"Tragic accident.
All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that nothing like this happens again, and indignation will also be expressed to the world community.
The red lines are not broken."©

(The federal media will say something like this if they are allowed to comment on it at all)

https://t.me/Z13_Separ/25950



The crew was said to be alive, let's hope that this is really the case, and not like what happened on the BDK "Novocherkassk" and the BDK "Caesar Kunikov". There were losses among our sailors there, and unfortunately they were irrevocable...

https://t.me/Z13_Separ/25951



The attack on the patrol ship "Sergei Kotov" was not the first, but the third, during the SVO. All previous crews successfully fought back, but unfortunately they didn’t succeed the third time...

My personal opinion is that all the men from this very ship are worthy of state awards, much more worthy than most of those lying on the screens. It will be fair.

https://t.me/Z13_Separ/25952



In the Gubkinsky district of the Belgorod region, after a night strike by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV on an oil depot, three fuel tanks are on fire.

https://t.me/Z13_Separ/25955




#GUInforms

❌ At least 27 occupiers were injured during the destruction of "Sergei Kotov".

👉 According to updated information, at least 27 crew members of the Russian ship "Sergei Kotov" destroyed near the Kerch Strait suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity.

✔️ Irreversible losses among the personnel of the enemy ship, according to preliminary data - 7 sailors.

❗️ The information is being clarified.

https://t.me/DIUkraine/3557

Does anyone here know how feasible it would be to have a HIMARS platform fitted to ground launch Tomahawk TLAM's? Not that I would expect Washington to send Ukraine even the aging stockpile of Tomahawk III's and IV's as the Army and Navy replace them with the new Block V. Yes the US Army was stated to have selected the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile as it's ground launched medium range strike option alongside with ground based SM-6's.

Imagine Russia having to deal with HIMARS launching BGM-109 Tomahawks with a range of about 850km - 1000km

I feel like this would be the weapons system that would be the final nail in the coffin for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

One of the largest plants producing raw iron ore materials in Russia in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk Oblast, was attacked by unidentified flying objects. Reportedly, the drone struck right into the fuel tank on the territory of the plant.

The facility is sanctioned by the US and the UK… pic.twitter.com/lggayGiIsk

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) March 6, 2024

⚠️ Odessa. Previously, the Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missile from Crimea was used.
We are waiting for official information.
https://t.me/povitryanatrivogaaa/80560


With the Iskander missile, Russia hit the infrastructure of the city 😡

??????? ???????? ????? ??????? ?? ?????????????? ????? \uD83D\uDE21

— Ann Winter (@ann_vodoley) March 6, 2024

Photo
https://t.me/boris_rozhin/115488

Sweden NATO accession documents have made their way to the US Department of State and its the official depository of NATO protocols.

This is the last step of the process of a country’s NATO membership application

Welcome to NATO Viking warriors!

🇸🇪

BREAKING:

Sweden NATO accession documents have made their way to the US Department of State and its the official depository of NATO protocols.

This is the last step of the process of a country’s NATO membership application

Welcome to NATO Viking warriors!

\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83C\uDDEA pic.twitter.com/QIzPMUQ34G

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 6, 2024

I don't see anything special.

Inside Europe's drive to get ammunition to Ukraine as Russia advances

By Anthony Deutsch and Jan Lopatka

March 6, 2024   3:38 AM EST   Updated 36 min ago  



STERNBERK, Czech Republic, March 6 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Czechs and a handful of Ukrainians are working round the clock in eastern Czech Republic to transform a collection of buildings dating back to World War Two into a hub for supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine.

The initiative is part of Europe's efforts to provide Kyiv with weapons to repel Russian forces after the stalling of U.S. military aid, which has been the backbone of international support.

Visiting the Sternberk facility owned by Czech private arms manufacturer Excalibur Army, General Onno Eichelsheim, head of the Dutch military, described the urgency of the situation as Kyiv's losses mount in eastern and southern Ukraine.

"We have to speed it up. We have to deliver more and we have to do it faster," he told Reuters during the recent trip to inspect self-propelled howitzer cannons and a refurbished Russian tank to be sent into battle.

The most pressing need for Ukraine two years after Russia's full-scale invasion is artillery ammunition, which is running low as the sides use heavy cannon fire to hold largely static, entrenched positions along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line.

The European Union, which with other Western allies wants to contain Russian advances and repel an increasingly assertive rival, launched an initiative in March 2023 to deliver 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine within 12 months.

A year later, it had delivered little more than half that number, officials said, because of insufficient production capacity and a lack of long-term orders.

"CLEARING HOUSE"

The Czech government has played a central role in trying to raise funding among partners, and in working out deals with the Czech defence industry.
The Netherlands has also been "quite busy for a few months in several countries" trying to make up the shortfall in artillery rounds, said Colonel Simon Wouda, chief of the Netherlands' Ukraine Taskforce.

"The first batch should be ready within four months, and that is a very conservative calculation. The second part can certainly be delivered in the second half of this year," Wouda said, detailing the timeline of supplies for the first time.

He said efforts were under way to secure additional contracts with Excalibur Army - which is part of the privately held Czechoslovak Group (CSG) - to purchase 155 mm rounds, which fit artillery guns the Dutch are providing.

The Czechoslovak Group acts as manufacturer and munitions clearing house - making air defence systems and vehicles, and sourcing tanks, artillery and shells from around the world and revamping them for Ukraine.

Western European countries and other allies pay for much of the materiel. Ukraine also buys military equipment and ammunition directly from partners.
The Netherlands has been working with the Czech Republic to find as many 155-mm artillery rounds as possible for Ukraine.

Wouda wants to guarantee a steady supply of ammunition as part of a security deal detailed by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Netherlands and other countries will fund about 800,000 artillery shells being sourced through the Czech Republic.

AMMUNITION PRICES SPIKE

Coalition members funding the short-term purchases include Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Czech Republic and the United States, among others, Wouda told Reuters.

"Collectively we have actually found opportunities around the world to find ammunition in other places, outside of Europe," he said, declining to identify those places.

In the two years since Russia's full-scale invasion, much of Ukraine's ammunition from overseas has been sourced to U.S. stocks.

Western producers have increased production to meet the unexpected surge in demand and the European Commission, the EU executive, expects annual EU-wide shell production to reach 1.4 million by the end of 2024. It was around 500,000 a year ago.

For every shell Ukraine fires along the front lines, Russia fires between five or six, officials and defence analysts say. This imbalance restricts Ukraine's ability to suppress Russian attacks and provide cover for its own troop movements.

Russia has increased weapons production and can maintain a much higher rate of fire than Ukraine, but Western experts say Moscow also faces some constraints and has turned to North Korea to bolster its munitions supplies.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told EU foreign ministers last week that Ukraine needed 2.5 million artillery shells this year, according to the Financial Times - suggesting a daily requirement of 7,000 - but the EU had sent only 400,000.

Supplies of ammunition to Ukraine have been interrupted by politics, with U.S. Congress holding up a $60 billion military aid package and European powers divided about using EU funds to purchase munitions outside the bloc.

There are about 2 million large calibre ammunition rounds available on the global market, a senior Czech official said.

Demand from the Ukraine war has driven up prices to $2,800-3,200 per round from $700-$1,200 beforehand, two sources familiar with the market said.

CHALLENGES

Ammunition supplies to Kyiv must be ramped up if it is to have a chance of turning the tide of the war, analysts Franz-Stefan Gady and Michael Kofman wrote in a February research paper for the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"For supporting countries, the challenge is to significantly increase production of artillery ammunition and air-defence interceptors," it said.

"Kyiv needs around 75,000–90,000 artillery shells per month to sustain the war defensively, and more than double that – 200,000–250,000 – for a major offensive."

Where to source the ammunition is being debated within the EU.

The Netherlands has allocated 250 million euros ($271 million) for ammunition purchases for Kyiv, including non-European stocks through the Czech defence industry, and asked allies to contribute to the plan being implemented with the Czech government.

The senior Czech official said donor countries can choose from a list of offers of various types of products and origin, with several Czech companies operating as a "clearing house".

With European ammunition sold out for two years, the official questioned why there would be any hesitation to go beyond local markets.

France and Germany are considering joining the initiative. French President Emmanuel Macron backed the plan during a visit to Prague on Tuesday and opened the door to using European funds for it, but did not say what Paris would contribute to it.

France has also invited foreign and defence ministers from Ukraine's main allies and the NATO Secretary General to take part in video call on Thursday aimed at showing a "united front" and coming up with concrete proposals to boost support for Kyiv.

The invitation said the meeting would look at ways of speeding up delivery of artillery ammunition supply and production.

NOT ONLY AMMUNITION

Ukraine's needs extend beyond artillery ammunition. It wants to bolster its air defences and needs more hardware along front lines to match Russia's superior resources. South Korea and Turkey are among countries supplying Ukraine so far.

Later this year, U.S. F-16 fighters are expected to be delivered to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. The Dutch are also part of a group providing advanced drones capable of attacking deeper into Russian-held territory.

The Netherlands has already received 100 mounted anti-aircraft guns and 45 refurbished T-72 tanks for Ukraine from Excalibur Army, among 105 funded with the U.S. and Denmark.

It has ordered nine modern howitzer cannon systems. Another Czech supplier, radar technology company ERA, is delivering four long-range surveillance systems, also donated by the Dutch.

Pavel Doško, business development director at CSG's Defence Land Systems, said hundreds of workers had been added to increase production at the Sternberk site.

"Together with the Dutch partners and other partners that we have in NATO, we are able to supply Ukraine now with quite a lot of materiel that they desperately need in their defence," he said in an interview.

Standing near a construction site where cement floors had recently been poured and a frame of steel beams built, he said: "We're doing what we can to supply as much as possible, as good as possible and as fast as possible."

($1 = 0.9211 euros)

Reporting by Anthony Deutsch and Jan Lopatka; Additional reporting by Andrew Gray in Brussels, Mike Stone, Aram Roston and Patricia Zengerle in Washington, John Irish in Paris, Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Timothy Heritage

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/inside-europes-drive-get-ammunition-ukraine-russia-advances-2024-03-06/

BRUTAL series of kamikaze hits on Russian infantry.  Notably there are several airburst/command detonations in addition to some direct hits.  Last one is really bad.  EXTREMELY NSFW.

From topwar.ru