Ukraine finally gets shells needed to protect ‘hottest spot on front line’

Ukrainian servicemen are finally getting the ammunition to push back a new Russian offensive on the “hottest spot on the front line”, according to a defence expert, as new US ammunition begins to arrive.

Russia has continued to establish momentum in its offensives around Kharkiv, which began earlier this month, capturing more than a dozen villages in the region and displacing around 14,000 Ukrainians, according to the World Health Organisation.

A gunner of Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault brigade, who previously fought in the Battle of Bakhmut – regarded by some military analysts as the bloodiest since the Second World War – has said the situation in Kharkiv is “much hotter here” than in Bakhmut.

“It’s 24/7, their infantry keeps coming, we keep fighting their attacks,” a soldier only identified by his first name, Pavlo, told Reuters.

“Here, at least we have shells, they started delivering them. We have something to work with, to fight.”

Pavlo’s comments follow the US Congres passing a $61bn (£48bn) aid package late last month, more than a third of which Republicans said was dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition.

The fresh military aid from America is playing a “very significant” role in helping front-line Ukranian troops, according to a political analyst specialising in Ukranian defence, Dr Huseyn Aliyev.

“Ukraine is in quite a privileged position compared to some months ago,” Dr Huseyn told i.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said last week: “For the first time during the war, none of the brigades complained that there were no artillery shells.”

The US has stockpiles in a number of Nato bases across Europe, which has meant ammunition was able to flow into Ukraine “within days” of Congress’s announcement, Dr Huseyn said.

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“After that, there will be more and more [ammunition] coming from across the ocean.”

He estimated that the new firepower should last Ukraine “a half a year or so” which has led to “heightened morale among Ukrainian troops”.

Dr Huseyn warned, though, that the extra ammunition was “not a silver bullet”.

“Weapons are important but they need defence fortifications and they need efficient troop mobilisation. Ukraine needs fresh troops, which is a huge problem in Kharkiv in particular.”

As part of a drive to overhaul the county’s mobilisation rules, Mr Zelensky passed new legislation in April requiring all men between 18 and 60 to register with Ukraine’s military.

On Wednesday, the town of Vovchansk, three miles inside the Ukrainian border, remained the focal point of the fighting. If it is captured by the Russians, it would represent the most significant gain by Moscow since they launched their assault on Kharkiv.

At the start of the offensive in the northern region of Ukraine, Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said Russia aimed to draw troops away from the eastern part of the country, “to thin Ukrainian forces”, and create a “buffer zone”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously called for a “buffer zone” on the Ukrainian side of the shared border, after frequent attacks on regions inside Russia including Belgorod.

Dr Huseyn believes the Russian intent is most likely to be creating a buffer zone, rather than creating a distraction from the east, after they also pulled resources northward and “do not have the luxury” of fighting on two fronts.

“A so-called buffer zone resonates with the Russian public,” Dr Huseyn added, because this would be about protecting Russian people.”

Since Russia’s full-scale attack in February 2022, more than 150,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded, The New York Times has said.