Speaking near the front line, Regional Governor Mykolaiv Vitaly Kim called for more support from US and European allies, VOA News reported. He also said that, at least in his region, Ukraine, the forces are running out of ammunition. “The Russian army is stronger, it has a lot of artillery and ammunition. At the moment, this is an artillery war … and we do not have ammunition,” Kim said. “The help of Europe and America is very, very important.” Mykolaiv region is located in southern Ukraine and has a small coastline on the Black Sea. Most of the fighting that is still going on in the country is concentrated in the Donbas region in the east, where separatist forces have tried to align the region with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has in the past justified justifying the invasion of Ukraine, saying his goal is to help alleged Russian-speaking people in Donbas. A Ukrainian official stressed the importance of continued military assistance from allied nations as the country struggles with ammunition shortages. Above, a shot of a Ukrainian soldier in the field. Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images
Heavy weapons for the Ukrainian army
Ukrainian leaders continue to negotiate with allies for future arms shipments. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday that he had talks with his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, about sending heavy weapons from the neighboring country to the Ukrainian army. Rowe also confirmed that the two had spoken of a new round of sanctions against Russia. The Russian military has recently suffered possible shortages of ammunition on its own, although this may in fact have resulted in greater damage to Ukraine. World security sources, including the Pentagon, have said that Russian forces are running out of precision weapons, leaving them to rely on unguided munitions, also called “stupid bombs.” Using these less sophisticated weapons, Russian forces are less capable of delivering precision strikes on military targets. This has resulted in heavier and more extensive collateral damage in civilian areas, particularly in the disputed area of Donbass. “The combined use of air and artillery raids has been a key factor in Russia’s recent tactical success in the region,” the Pentagon wrote in a June 4 briefing on the war in Ukraine. “Increased use of unguided munitions has led to widespread destruction of residential areas in Donbass and is almost certain to have caused significant collateral damage and civilian casualties.” Newsweek contacted the US Department of Defense for comment.
