In July, Ukraine produced twice as much mortar and artillery ammunition than in the whole of last year. In addition, by the end of the year, the country will produce 155-mm NATO-standard ammunition.
This was announced by the Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
According to him, the results of projectile production for July rather indicate not how much Ukraine produces now, but how little it produced before. He did not specify production figures, but noted that it will be years before Ukraine can produce enough ammunition to meet current needs. A year before the invasion, Ukraine did not produce ammunition at all.
Kamyshyn says that production is spread across the country and abroad, and by the end of the year, Ukraine will produce NATO-standard 155-mm ammunition, and the production of Soviet 152-mm and 122-mm calibers also continues.
The minister added that the defense industry of Ukraine can serve as an engine of economic recovery and secure it after the end of the war.
- In May, the Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov informed that Ukraine uses an average of 110 000 munitions of 155 mm caliber per month.
- On March 20, EU member states agreed to purchase one million 155 mm ammunition for Ukraine over the next 12 months.