Christopher Cavoli, the NATO commander in Europe, is appalled by the scale of the war in Ukraine. “It’s unbelievable,” he says, and illustrates it with figures for Russia’s terrible losses. At the same time, the general emphasizes that Kyiv is facing a shortage of ammunition.
Christopher Cavoli, the NATO commander in Europe, is appalled by the scale of the war in Ukraine. “It’s unbelievable,” he says, and illustrates it with figures for Russia’s terrible losses. At the same time, the general emphasizes that Kyiv is facing a shortage of ammunition.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, NATO has to adapt to a new reality, according to the alliance’s commander-in-chief in Europe. The scale of this war is unbelievable, General Christopher Cavoli said on Friday as the guest of honor at the traditional Matthias meal at Hamburg City Hall, reports n-tv
According to Cavoli,
Russia has lost more than 2,000 large battle tanks so far. More than 200,000 Russian soldiers and more than 1,800 officers were killed or wounded. In addition, the Russian army fires an average of more than 23,000 artillery shells per day, Kavoli said.
According to previous estimates, this number was even higher at the beginning of the Russian invasion. French military sources reported that Kremlin troops fired up to 50,000 artillery shells a day last summer. Meanwhile, Ukraine has significantly fewer charges. Last November, a US official estimated that the country was using about 4,000 to 7,000 artillery shells a day.
In addition, Kyiv is facing a shortage of ammunition. Last week, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu warned that Ukraine was running out of artillery shells.
“Today we have a situation where Russia uses as many missiles in one day as the EU produces in one month,” the minister said.
Therefore, the European Commission recently proposed to support member states in the procurement of ammunition and the production of new ammunition with EU funds.
According to General Christopher Cavoli, “If the enemy is a tank, you should be a tank.” However, the lesson learned from the Cold War is that the accuracy of weapons is paramount. In addition, the production capacity of the defense industry is important. Those who can produce the fastest win the war. At the same time, the NATO general emphasized the importance of civilian leadership:
“We have learned from this conflict that civilian leadership is absolutely essential.” It can mobilize people and inspire partners.
