Russia is so desperate for military equipment that it is requisitioning weapons sold to other countries, it emerged yesterday.
President Vladimir Putin is facing ‘extreme challenges’ obtaining material to fight in Ukraine, Western officials have said.
Troops are resorting to swiping weapons which have already been sold to other nations by private Russian arms dealers.
Last year the Indian Air Force complained that Russia was unable to honour its arms delivery commitments.
It was later reported Kremlin officials had visited Cairo asking Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to return more than 100 engines from Russian helicopters it had already exported.
‘Russia’s domestic ammunition production capabilities are currently insufficient for meeting the needs of the Ukraine conflict,’ one official said.
The country’s domestic military industry is also struggling with the impact of sanctions, officials claim.
Its inability to access Western components means troops are being left with old systems and substandard equipment.
However, despite this, one Western official said: ‘We do not believe Russia has given up on its maximalist goals of subjugating Ukraine.’
It comes as the war enters its third year, with Russia seemingly in the ascendancy after taking control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka.
Ukraine’s shortage of supplies has also come into focus with its reliance on Western support for money and equipment.
Troops are starting to run out of ammunition as a huge package of US war aid requested by President Joe Biden remains blocked by Republicans in Congress, according to White House officials.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: ‘We cannot afford to wait any longer.’
