Ukraine’s Western Sponsors Running Out of Ammo & Out of Time

Update on the conflict in Ukraine for August 31, 2023:

– The Western media is trying to spin Ukrainian gains within the security or “gray zone” ahead of Russia’s first of several defense lines as a “turning point” in the offensive;

– Ukraine’s offensive potential has been exhausted with the West struggling to find arms and ammunition to replace Ukrainian losses;

– The West is even struggling to pull together large numbers of antiquated and inappropriate equipment like the post-WW2 Leopard 1 tank;

– Meanwhile Ukraine continues conducting drone strikes in Russia, achieving questionable PR value and little else;

– A recent Ukrainian drone strike on an airport hosting Il-76 strategic airlift aircraft damaged 2. To put that in context, Russia operates over 100 of these aircraft and has production capacity to build up to 12 annually;

– Ukraine’s sponsors are unable to sustain the conflict “for as long as it takes,” and only for as long as they have arms and ammunition to supply Ukraine in sufficient quantities;

References:

Forbes – Two Ukrainian Air Assault Brigades Are Flanking Russia’s Next Strongpoint On The Road To Melitopol (August 29, 2023):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…

Forbes – As Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Gains Momentum, Russia Is Deploying Some Of Its Last Good Reserves (August 27, 2023):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…

Reuters – Ukrainian drones attack Russian air base near Estonia (August 30, 2023):
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/…

Ukrainska Pravda – Drone attack on Pskov: first satellite images of airfield (August 31, 2023):
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/20…

US Agency for Global Media – Radio Svoboda:
https://www.usagm.gov/tag/radio-svoboda/

Air Data News – 50 years after first flight, Il-76 is still being produced in Russia (2021):
https://www.airdatanews.com/50-years-…

US State Department – New Package of Additional U.S. Military Assistance for Ukraine (August 29, 2023):
https://www.state.gov/new-package-of-…

US Defense Department – Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine (August 29, 2023):
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases…

The Drive – Ukraine’s Mi-24 Hinds Now Armed With U.S. 70mm Hydra Rockets (August 1, 2023):
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone…

Forbes – To Free Up Another Hundred Leopard 1 Tanks For Ukraine, German Diplomats Are Getting Creative (August 29, 2023):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…