Every day the Russian army wears out military equipment and consumes vast amounts of ammunition. According to the British secret service, there are increasing signs that Moscow is aware of the armaments problems. Secretary of Defense Wallace says it’s possible that “the entire Russian army” is in Ukraine.
According to British secret services, the Russian leadership is presumably aware of the increasing armament problems. According to the short report by the British Ministry of Defense, Moscow is well aware that the production of the Russian defense industry is developing into a decisive weakness. Russian production is likely to fall short of Kremlin expectations in terms of supplies needed for the Ukraine war and long-term goals.
The British emphasize that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called on the arms industry to provide better support for “special military operations,” as the war of aggression in Russia is called. Most recently, in a televised meeting, he sharply criticized Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who is responsible for the arms industry. In addition, the Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, called for increased production of tanks. In addition, this Achilles heel is burdened by strategic misjudgments during the invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with the BBC, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace emphasized how much the Russian army was being challenged by the war in Ukraine. “We currently estimate that 97 percent of the Russian army, the entire Russian army, is in Ukraine.”
At the same time, Wallace dampened hopes in Kiev for fast deliveries of fighter jets from Great Britain. “I don’t think that we will necessarily deliver fighter jets in the coming months or even years, because they are very different weapon systems than, for example, anti-tank missiles,” Wallace continued. It takes a long time to learn how to fly such jets, and – similar to a Formula 1 team – a whole crew is required. “And we will not send 200 members of the Royal Air Force to Ukraine in wartime.”
During his recent visit to London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged fighter jets to defend against Russian aggression. The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak therefore wants to have it checked in principle whether combat aircraft are available for Ukraine. However, he also spoke of a “long-term” solution. The training should be faster than the delivery: The first Ukrainian pilots could be trained on NATO jets in Great Britain as early as spring.
