Russian Army will face a shortage of weapons for the war against Ukraine - ISW.

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War claim that Russia will face a shortage of weapons and material resources for waging war against Ukraine and will increase its dependence on foreign partners in this matter. According to the ISW report:

"Russia will likely face growing problems in the production and procurement of material resources needed for Russian operations in Ukraine, and the Kremlin will likely become increasingly dependent on foreign partners to meet its material resource needs."

Analysts note that the Russian military largely relies on restoring stocks of Soviet-era weapons and military equipment, particularly armored vehicles, to support its offensive operations in Ukraine. According to experts:

"The Russian authorities will likely need to mobilize the Russian economy and defense industry even more, as well as invest in capacity building, if Russian troops need to maintain such a pace of operations in the future, as Russia depletes its limited resources, and it is unclear whether the Russian defense industry will be able to produce enough to withstand the losses of equipment suffered by Russian troops in Ukraine, even with further economic mobilization."

ISW previously emphasized that Russia's efforts to expand its military-industrial complex might be unpromising in the medium and long-term due to the expected labor shortage and the impact of Western sanctions.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, pointed to the role of North Korea as Russia's most influential military ally. He stressed that the supply of North Korean artillery munitions to Russia has a direct and immediate impact on the course of the war, and the Ukrainian forces feel an increase in the pace of Russian operations just a few days after these munitions arrive.

ISW points out that recently Russia has intensified its military cooperation with North Korea, as evidenced by the visit of Russian Security Council head Sergey Shoigu to Pyongyang on September 13, and Putin's visit in June 2024, when a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement was signed with North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

Experts believe that the convergence of Russia and North Korea in the field of defense cooperation serves as a symbol of Russia's desire to establish similar relations with Iran, North Korea, and other partners.

Analysts believe that Russia will likely face a decline in weapon and equipment stocks and will attempt to economize this deficit if it cannot circumvent Western sanctions and significantly strengthen cooperation with foreign partners to obtain sufficient military equipment and resources.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda