Ukrainian drone strikes cripple Russian ammo depots, shelling drops
In October, the intensity of artillery shelling by Russian forces in Ukraine significantly decreased. Analysts from the Defense Express portal highlighted precise data that, in their opinion, clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of recent attacks on Russian ammunition depots.
"The destruction of several large ammunition depots belonging to the Russian Federation by Ukraine using drones has resulted in a more favorable outcome within two weeks than all the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation two years ago," stated the analysis by Defense Express.
Significant damage to Russian ammunition depots
The end of September and the beginning of October brought literal and figurative tremors to Russia. Ukraine executed several successful strikes, with explosions in the Tikhoretsk region in Krasnodar Krai and the city of Toropets in the Tver region generating significant impact. These explosions were so powerful that they registered tremors of 2.8 on the Richter scale in the affected areas.
The Russians lost vast quantities of various types of ammunition. The depot in Toropets was a storage site for Grad rockets and S-300 and S-400 systems, including ballistic missiles. After the attack, Ukrainian intelligence reported that the site housed Iskander ballistic missiles and North Korean KN-23 missiles. This is very dangerous weaponry with a range of several hundred miles. Both types of missiles have similar performance and dimensions, each measuring over 23 feet in length and about 3 feet in diameter.
The Russians are starting to run out of ammunition
Based on publicly available data and reports, including one released by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, Defense Express noted a significant decrease in the use of artillery ammunition by Russian forces.
In July-August 2024, Russian forces had a 3-to-1 advantage over Ukrainian shelling, using about 45,000 shells per day. Currently, the average has dropped to about 30,000 shells per day. This remains double the amount used by Ukrainian forces, approximately 15,000 shells per day, but still represents a notable reduction compared to just a few weeks ago.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister General Ivan Havryluk contends that these statistics and the improvement in the situation were achieved due to the attacks on Russian ammunition depots. Artillery has been the main driving force of the Russian offensive since the beginning of the war. Ukrainians have repeatedly appealed to the West for increased ammunition supplies but often received them too late and in quantities much less than needed. At the beginning of September, Russian pro-war bloggers began to speak openly about a "shortage of shells" for the first time.
