What Ukraine will face if there is shortage of ammunition for Western air defense and artillery systems: a British military intelligence officer explains the consequences

Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, many models of Western air defense and artillery systems have been put into service. However, weapons alone are not enough as regular supplies of ammunition and missiles for anti-aircraft missile systems are needed too.

The Russian occupiers, in particular, are familiar with this situation, so they regularly carry out missile and drone attacks to deplete the stocks of missiles for air defense. This was stated by former British intelligence officer Frank Ledwidge in an interview with NV.

According to him, after Russia's full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian army is gradually switching to Western air defense systems. Ukrainian sky is already being protected by Patriot, NASAMS, SAMP/T, Iris-T and other Western systems.

At the same time, the intelligence officer noted that Ukraine faces a shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition. The Russian occupiers understand this, so regular missile and drone attacks are aimed, in particular, at depleting the stocks of missiles for air defense systems.

Ledwidge is confident that the Ukrainian military will not exhaust them completely. However, there is a possibility that the defenders will have to decide what to defend.

"That means you may have to shoot down an Iranian Shahed drone worth $20,000 with a Patriot system if the target is valuable enough. The value of the target, not the value of the weapon system, is taken into account. If there is a shortage of ammunition, Ukraine will have to make tough decisions," the British intelligence officer said.

The analyst believes that the situation with anti-aircraft ammunition may become more complicated by the end of winter. In addition, there is an acute shortage of artillery ammunition.

"Without enough ammunition to fire at the enemy, you cannot fight them. Russia seems to be doing a little bit better now," Ledwidge said.

As a reminder, Germany has handed over the second Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. It was delivered to our country along with spare parts and missiles. The air defense system is part of a new military aid package announced by Germany on December 14.

Earlier, it was reported that the combination of a shortage of artillery ammunition and delays in Western security assistance is likely to force the Ukrainian Defense Forces to cut corners. This could delay future Ukrainian counteroffensives at the front.

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