Russia is allocating quite a bit of its budget to defense. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of their current rate of expenditure on arms, ammunition, and troops.
According to Bastian Giegerich, the Director General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia has the capacity to continue its military operations in Ukraine for another "two to three years." "However, in the pursuit of this goal, there may be a trade-off between maintaining high standards and increasing output," as per Politico.
Russia's Resilient Military Reserves
Military vehicles including trucks and support vehicles, all belonging to the 7 Light Mechanised Brigade unit of the British Army, aka 'The Desert Rats', are loaded by members of the Royal Logistics Corps' 17 Port & Maritime Regiment onto the MV Anvil Point, at the Marchwood Military Sea Mounting Centre near Southampton, southern England, on February 13, 2024, to take part in military exercises in Europe under the NATO umbrella exercise, 'Steadfast Defender'. Some 90,000 NATO troops will take part in the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 exercise designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. The exercise is designed to simulate the 31-nation alliance's response to an attack from a rival like Russia.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) suggests that Russia possesses sufficient reserves of tanks, fighting vehicles, and equipment to endure losses in Ukraine for the next 2 to 3 years, possibly longer. The IISS report, based on aerial imagery, indicates that Russia maintains at least 12 artillery storage bases, 10 central tank reserve bases, and 37 mixed equipment and armaments storage bases. Although the exact number of restorable weapons remains unclear, the report emphasizes Russia's capability to replace losses through production and its extensive storage and reserve capacity.
Despite facing significant losses, Russia has managed to maintain stable active inventory numbers. The IISS findings suggest that equipment replenishments are keeping pace with battlefield attrition, aligning with assessments from the previous year.
The UK Ministry of Defense has estimated Russia's monthly production capacity at 100 tanks, but experts caution that these may include older models.
While Russia has lost thousands of armored vehicles since February, it continues to replenish equipment, at times resorting to deploying older vehicles like T-62s and T-55s. In contrast, the situation in Ukraine, while somewhat uncertain, indicates that the country's main battle tank arsenal is around pre-war levels. Western support has increased the availability of some armored vehicles for Ukraine, but challenges persist, with some units lacking sufficient equipment, according to Business Insider.
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US Aid Delays Raise Concerns for Ukraine
An analysis has revealed that the approval process for US aid to Ukraine has encountered delays in Congress, which could potentially impact the country's military capabilities. Russia still has twice as many combat-ready tanks as Ukraine, despite losing around 1,120 tanks in the past year, as stated in the IISS Military Balance report.
According to Henry Boyd, a senior fellow for military capability at the institute, Russia has been primarily relying on refurbished older models rather than newly built tanks to maintain its fleet.
An analysis has revealed that the approval process for US aid to Ukraine has encountered delays in Congress, which could potentially impact the country's military capabilities. Russia still has twice as many combat-ready tanks as Ukraine, despite losing around 1,120 tanks in the past year, as stated in the IISS Military Balance report.
According to Henry Boyd, a senior fellow for military capability at the institute, Russia has been primarily relying on refurbished older models rather than newly built tanks to maintain its fleet.
Experts predict that the current impasse will continue due to the ongoing trench warfare and attritional nature of the dispute. Both parties have no way to launch major offensives without suffering heavy losses, which has led experts to predict that the current situation will persist in the coming months, Fox News reported.
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