Since the beginning of the war with Russia, Ukraine has established its own production of long-range drones and maritime drones. Furthermore, Kyiv has embarked on the development of its own mortars and artillery shells of Soviet standards, ranging from 122mm to 152mm caliber, according to The Washington Post.
Ukrainian defense enterprises are also striving to meet the army's critical needs by producing their own 155mm shells in compliance with NATO standards, essential for artillery systems supplied by Western sponsors of Ukraine. However, there remains a desperate shortage of these munitions on the front lines.
A source from Ukroboronprom, the state-owned defense company, said production would not begin until the "second half of this year."
Ammunition for Ukraine
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, in late February called for a halt to the export of ammunition from Europe to other countries, except Ukraine, due to the acute shortage of munitions in the Ukrainian army. He specified that by the end of March of this year, the European Union would transfer approximately 170,000 artillery shells to Ukraine.
Additionally, Czechia has spearheaded a coalition of more than a dozen countries to procure ammunition for Ukraine. In mid-February 2024, Czech President Petr Pavel announced that Czechia had secured 800,000 artillery shells of 155mm and 122mm caliber for Ukraine.
It has recently been reported that the ammunition procured from non-EU countries under the Czech initiative could reach Ukraine as early as June.