According to journalists, there is a shortage of gunpowder, plastite and TNT in the EU countries. Because of this, it will not be possible to quickly increase the production of shells for artillery systems even with proper funding.
In the EU countries, there is a lack of raw materials to be able to produce explosives in the proper volumes and provide ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is reported by the Financial Times.
According to journalists who refer to data from government sources and representatives of arms companies, there is a shortage of gunpowder, plastite and TNT in the EU countries. For this reason, it will not be possible to quickly increase the production of shells for artillery systems, even with sufficient funding.
The large-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine revealed the lack of production capacity of defense plants in Europe. The current situation is explained by the fact that for several decades the defense sector has been underfunded.
The representative of Germany said that the EU defense industry cannot launch large-scale military production, which is required in wartime.
The representative of the Czech Republic said that the shortage of raw materials does not allow expanding the production of artillery shells in a short time, and it will take about three years to deploy the necessary volumes of gunpowder production.
Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with ammunition
Spanish gunsmiths point out that there are few defense factories in the EU countries, and besides, they are not fully loaded. For this reason, the EU is an option to consider production in countries such as India or South Korea.
Moreover, due to high demand, the price of shells increased by an average of 20%. The production of a single unit is now estimated at about 850 euros, which is 20% higher than it was before the start of the open invasion of Ukraine.
Recall that, according to Politico, NATO is trying to speed up the transfer of military equipment and personnel to the borders of the Russian Federation. It is reported about the grouping of troops of about 300 thousand military personnel. However, the implementation of this task requires the participation of all countries of the Alliance.
Earlier, Focus reported that the Russian Federation would activate its agents in Belgium and France, which should prevent the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine. According to journalists, the Russian special services are planning to organize three anti-Ukrainian actions at once in Paris, Toulouse and Brussels.
