Ukraine accelerates own ammunition production amid urgent need – NYT

The New York Times writes about it. 

Ukraine's domestic weapons industry has become a crucial focus. Last month, it produced twice the amount of mortars and artillery rounds as the entire year of 2022. The success of Ukraine's counteroffensive now relies on ensuring an adequate supply of ammunition for its military, the article notes.

“I am sure the defense industry will become the backbone of security during the wartime. We will be the locomotive for economic revival after the war is over,” Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine's minister for strategic industries, emphasized.

“But I don’t focus much on that now,” he said. “For me, it’s important to bring more armaments to my army to force Russians out.”

He declined to disclose exact quantities of ammunition produced in July but described it as  “an important input to the counteroffensive.” The exact pre-war ammunition production in Ukraine is also unclear, as manufacturers typically keep such data confidential. 

Read also: US struggles to supply Ukraine with crucial artillery shells amid counteroffensive

Reports suggest Ukraine has been burning through as much as 8,000 rounds of ammunition each day in the counteroffensive.To address the escalating need, the country's once-mighty defense industry has been ramping up, primarily focusing on producing ammunition and drones, including armored vehicles. 

However, most of the newly manufactured Ukrainian ammunition is of Soviet-era caliber, suitable for the military's existing equipment but not compatible with the advanced Western weapons systems provided by NATO states.

To aid Ukraine's efforts, the Biden administration recently decided to send controversial cluster munitions to compensate for shortages of 155-millimeter rounds. 

Without the additional ammunition support, the offensive's progress could be limited by ammunition shortages, military analyst Michael Kofman warned.