Russia boosts weapon production as US military aid surges for Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has issued orders to escalate weapons production amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, following a significant surge in military aid from the United States to Kyiv.

Shoigu emphasized the need for faster deliveries to support Russia’s efforts in Ukraine, which have intensified since President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion.

The move comes as tensions between Russia and the West reach levels not seen since the Cuban Missile Crisis, with both sides bolstering their military capabilities in the region.

At a meeting with the top military brass in charge of what Moscow calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the “volume, quality and speed of arms production” needed to be increased.

Shoigu, who was shown inspecting drones and other weapons and giving his own thoughts on improvements, said industrial enterprises had been ordered to reduce production time while repair units at the front, in Ukraine’s east and south, and at the rear had been told to improve their efficiency.

 

General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian general staff and in charge of the military campaign in Ukraine, delivered a report to Shoigu on the current state of operations.

Russia controls 18% of the Ukraine

 

The Russian military, bolstered by a larger army and increased weapons production, continues to make gains in Ukraine, controlling approximately 18% of the country. 

Russia’s ability to recruit hundreds of thousands of relatively well-paid contract soldiers and ramp up weapons production has surprised the United States and its allies in the NATO military alliance.

Russia’s army is now 15% larger than before the invasion, the command has adapted fast to the innovative challenges of the battlefield and Russia will manufacture more artillery this year than all of NATO’s 32 members combined, General Christopher Cavoli, the head of U.S. European Command, said last month.

Zelenskyy highlights urgency of U.S. aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that vital U.S. weapons were starting to arrive in Ukraine in small amounts, but that deliveries needed to be faster than advancing Russian invasion forces were trying to take advantage.

U.S. President Joe Biden on April 24 signed a bill into law that provides $61 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, including an array of artillery, rocket systems, anti-tank munitions and ammunition.

Source: Newsroom