Russia is ramping up military production, stockpiling standard weapons and ammunition, and is likely to be able to sustain an offensive in Ukraine for the next two years. By transitioning its economy to a military focus, forcing businesses to work overtime to produce or repair old weapons, and buying spare parts from Iran, China, and North Korea, Russia has recovered remarkably from its initial losses in Ukraine, the WP notes.
“Russia does not produce modern military equipment, but it produces much simpler weapons, rifles, shells, and massive weapons for ordinary soldiers,” says Russian economist Nikolai Kulbaka.
Soviet-era weaponry, including missiles and guided bombs, compensate for Russia’s inability to develop and deploy advanced weapons.
At the same time, according to British intelligence, Russia has already lost at least 100 of its combat aircraft.
However, according to Christopher Cavoli, the head of US European Command, Moscow now has more soldiers than at the beginning of the war, and they are quickly adapting to the challenges of the battlefield, both tactically and technologically.