Ukraine has been forced to ration shells amid an acute ammunition shortage, a report claimed. The Washington Post reported that a unit with the 59th motorised brigade of Ukraine's ground forces used to fire more than 20 to 30 shells per day earlier. At present, the unit is shooting one, two, or no shells at all as the forces faces dire shortage.
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Ukrainian forces are firing around 7,700 shells per day, the report added which implies one in every six seconds, a Ukrainian military official who spoke anonymously to the Washington Post revealed. Russia may also be conserving shells but is firing an estimated three times as many as Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
Owing to the shortage, the Ukrainian military has become "pickier" with its targets, aiming for equipment over infantry. Ukraine has repeatedly claimed a shortage of ammunition saying that it has limited the country's progress on the battlefield.
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{{/usCountry}}Earlier, EU foreign ministers reached a historic deal to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells over the next year. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had warned in February that the alliance was struggling to produce enough ammunition to keep up with Ukraine's "expenditure".
This comes as UK military intelligence said Russia was threatening a key supply route to Bakhmut which has been the major focus of their assault for months while Ukraine said that it is defending before its counter-offensive. The Ukrainian military earlier said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult.