MOSCOW, Mar 16 The United States warned Ukraine that active the use of ammunition could lead to the disruption of a likely counteroffensive, writes The New York Times, citing US officials.
According to media reports, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use thousands of artillery shells a day. According to European and American officials, such spending is unacceptable and could jeopardize the spring campaign.
“The bombardment is so intense that the Pentagon recently expressed concern to Kyiv after several days of non-stop artillery fire … The Americans warned Ukraine against wasting ammunition at a key moment,” the publication says.
It is noted that the US and Britain plan to send thousands of Soviet and «NATO» artillery shells and missiles to Ukraine to prepare for the offensive. However, according to a US official, the allies do not have enough ammunition to meet the needs of Kyiv.
On the preparation of Ukraine for the counteroffensive in February, said the head of the Ministry of Defense of the country Oleksiy Reznikov. On Tuesday, Valery Prozapas, an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that due to a lack of forces and means, Kyiv cannot now afford serious offensive operations in the Donbass. In his opinion, the situation has reached an operational impasse.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olga Stefanishyna said that Kyiv is planning an offensive operation. She added that the country expects arms supplies from the West so as not to go «empty-handed» to the positions of the Russians.
An offensive in the Zaporozhye region could be fatal for Ukrainian troops, said earlier the chairman of the movement «We are with Russia», a member of the main council of the regional administration, Volodymyr Rogov. According to him, the United States is forcing the Kyiv authorities to take active steps in the southern direction. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, said that a possible attack on Crimea would mean an escalation of the conflict. He urged the Ukrainian authorities to realize that such attacks will meet with «inevitable retribution» using any type of weapon.
Earlier, Moscow sent a note to NATO countries because of arms supplies to Kyiv. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry stated that the NATO countries in this situation are «playing with fire.» Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Kyiv with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.
Russia has been conducting a military special operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Vladimir Putin called its task «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee Russia's security.