Ukraine Will Start Production of 155 mm Caliber Shells Only in Second Half of 2024 - Report

Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict.

Ukraine will be able to start its own production of 155 mm caliber shells, which are in short supply on the battlefield, only in the second half of 2024.

The Washington Post quoted sources who said Ukrainian defense companies are trying to meet the urgent needs of the armed forces by producing their own NATO-standard 155-millimeter shells, which are needed for artillery systems supplied by Ukraine's Western sponsors.

There is a catastrophic shortage of these shells at the front, but production will not begin until the second half of this year at the earliest, according to the publication.

Ukrainian officials have complained that a long list of constraints, from a lack of adequate funding to finding enough gunpowder, is preventing the Ukrainian industry from ramping up production.

"Our state budget is not enough," the newspaper quoted Oleksandr Zavitnevych, head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine's committee on national security, defense and intelligence, as saying.

Corruption in Ukraine is a major concern for both the country's citizens and its international partners. When funds intended for public services or infrastructure disappear without proper accountability, it can lead to a lack of trust in government and hinder the country's development.

155 mm is the NATO-standard heavy artillery calibre. The United States has supplied Ukraine with 155 mm caliber M777 long-range howitzers, which Ukrainian troops are actively using to shell cities in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.

German PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery units, Polish Krab self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer and French CAESAR self-propelled howitzer, which fire shells of this caliber, have also been delivered to Ukrainian troops.