Ukrainian servicemen fire with a D-30 howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on March 21, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
SERGEY SHESTAK/AFP via Getty Images
Front-line Ukrainian soldiers say it feels like Russia has been firing “unlimited” artillery shells.
Troops tell the BBC they worry about running out of ammunition by the end of year.
New weapons from the US and NATO allies, like the Abrams tank, could change the tide of the war.
Front-line Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbas region say it seems like Russia has “unlimited” artillery shells to throw at them — while they remain worried about running out by the end of the year.
A new BBC video follows troops in the area, operating older Soviet-era tanks and firing at Russian enemies just 500 meters away. As the soldiers run to safety in trenches, they tell BBC it feels like Russia has been firing nonstop in the area.
“They have an unlimited amount of shells. They have entire warehouses full of them,” one soldier, identified as Dima, said. “They could shoot all day, and they’ll never run out of shells.”
“And what about us?” Dima asked. “We will run out of shells this year.”
—Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) March 23, 2023
There have been ongoing debates about where Russia’s munition stockpile stands a year into the war. Kyiv’s top military officials said earlier this month that Moscow could run out of “military tools” such as armaments and weapons by the spring. They’ve been issuing older ammunition, pulling antique tanks off the shelves, and forming an alliance with China in hopes of receiving lethal aid from President Xi Jinping.
But for Dima and other soldiers on the front lines, the bombardment still feels constant. There is potential to turn the tide, though.
“We are forming various assault brigades,” he said. “And we have been given tanks like Abrams, so I think with their help, we will win.”
The US and its allies announced earlier this year that they’d send modern Western tanks to Ukraine. Just this week, the White House and Pentagon said they’d fast-track the delivery of older M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in eight to 10 months.