Russia is wearing down Ukraine’s defences as aid from US and EU stalls
- With allied assistance delayed, Kyiv’s troops don’t have enough artillery and air-defence munitions
- Fighting has settled into trench warfare as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds into a third year
Ukraine is running short of artillery shells and air defence missiles to protect its cities from Russian attacks, with vital assistance from Europe and the US tied up in the approval process as Kyiv goes on the defensive.
Publicly, Ukrainian officials say they will keep up the fight against Russia’s invasion forces even if allied support doesn’t come through.
But reports from the front show the situation there increasingly dire, with Kyiv’s forces struggling at times to hold back Moscow’s troops, according to Western officials familiar with the discussions who asked for anonymity to comment on confidential matters.
Recent waves of Russian missile attacks killed dozens in Kyiv and other cities as Ukraine’s air defences, which rely heavily on expensive interceptors provided by the allies, weren’t able to destroy as many of the incoming weapons as in the past, according to a European diplomat.
As Russia’s invasion grinds into a third year, the fighting has settled into trench warfare with drones leaving little chance for either side to surprise the other along the front.
But to sustain this “active defence”, as the approach is known, Ukraine will need steady supplies of artillery shells and other munitions that allies are struggling to provide.
