Russia’s war efforts are halted as the Red Army cannot get a replacement weapon

RussiaRussia’s war efforts are stalled because most of the military equipment they need is made in Ukraine, it turned out last night.

Kremlin forces have run out of vital weapons and are now unable to replenish their stockpiles, UK defense sources have revealed.

The revelations came as President Vladimir ZelenskyRussian forces drove Russia out of dozens of surrounding cities Kiev and the north in one of the most remarkable days since the invasion began.

With Vladimir, more than 30 settlements were restored Putin‘s forces are retreating up to 25 miles in some places.

But officials have called for caution, saying the movement is part of Russia’s “tactics” of encircling Ukrainian troops in Donbas and dividing the country into two.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Russian troops are not withdrawing, but relocating.”

Among the cities under Ukrainian control last night were Hostomel, where Moscow hoped to acquire an airport to make it easier to take control of Kiev, Chernihiv in the north, and Chernobyl, where Putin’s forces headed across the border into Belarus.

The Daily Mail may reveal that Ukraine has previously supplied Russia with cruise missiles, helicopter engine parts and fighter jet components. He also produced fire control systems used by Russian tanks.

Now that these systems fail, they cannot be replaced. Russia is unable to obtain these items or alternatives from other countries due to international sanctions.

Since the beginning of the conflict in late February, Russia has lost an estimated 143 aircraft, 131 helicopters, 625 tanks and 316 artillery pieces.

Russia has also fired at least 1,100 missiles, raising the question of how long it can sustain such a level of spending.

Given that Russia relies on Ukraine for military components, British defense sources say the Russian war effort is in serious trouble.

Last night, a source said: “Serious quantities of components for Russian weapons systems have been manufactured there [Ukraine]. This will not happen again.

“Russia cannot produce or import this equipment on its own, so it will not receive any of these materials any time soon. The hardware consumed in Ukraine was derived from historical stocks that developed during the time of greater cooperation between Russia and Ukraine.

“The integration of their industrial complexes meant that the severance of relations would jeopardize Russia’s ability to sustain military operations. They are running out now. ‘

During the Soviet era, Ukraine produced 30 percent of the Union’s weapons and military equipment.

Arms sales continued after the Cold War. In 2012, Ukraine was the fourth largest arms exporter in the world, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, as it became the Soviet Union, was among its largest buyers.

But after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and started a conflict in the Donbas region – with the help of Ukrainian equipment – Kyiv drastically reduced supplies to its neighbors.

Ukraine’s arms export revenues fell from 1 billion pounds in 2012 to 100 million pounds in 2020. According to British sources, Russia is facing a drastic shortage of “parts for helicopters, ships, fighter jets and cruise missiles.”

His cruise missiles were made in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkov, which was bombed by Russian artillery and aircraft.

The state-owned instrument factory in Izyum also produced essential components for the Russian T-72 tank range.

The war is also expected to curtail Russia’s nuclear program, as half of the components for its ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles are procured in Ukraine.

Reports from British intelligence also show that Russian generals rejected attempts by the Kremlin to send thousands of troops to Ukraine, dismissing them as “inappropriate for the purpose.”

On the ground, a Ukrainian soldier in Hostomel said of the Russians, “They left like cowardly rabbits, almost without a fight. I think we will soon throw them completely across the border. ‘

The nearby city of Bucha has also reportedly been liberated, leaving Russian plans to encircle Kyiv following Ukraine’s victory over Irpin earlier this week in fragments.

A Ukrainian official said: “The enemy has exhausted its offensive potential and must be replenished and collected.”

And the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was again in the hands of Ukrainians for the first time since the invasion began last night. Russian troops are said to have become ill after digging trenches in highly toxic areas, forcing them to evacuate.

About 700 armored vehicles around Kiev also headed towards Belarus.

But Ukrainian authorities have warned that there are still “significant forces” around Kiev that could “still cause some damage”. They added that there is a “high probability” that the retreating forces will be redeployed to the eastern region of Donbass.

A U.S. defense official said: “We continue to believe that this is a repositioning. We have certainly not seen any signs that any of these troops are returning home or that they are being withdrawn from combat forever.”

• Ukrainian attack helicopters have destroyed an oil depot in Russia, Moscow officials said yesterday. If confirmed, the attack by Ukrainian forces in Russia in the western city of Belgorod would be the first of its kind. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba declined to confirm or deny the country’s alleged involvement.