The lack of ammunition of various types remains a problem for the Defence Forces. There is also a problem with the guidance of long-range ammunition during counter-battery combat, said Oleksandr Tarnavskyy, commander of the Tavria operational and strategic group of troops, in an interview with BBC Ukraine.
"The Russians know our capabilities in terms of range and have deployed their artillery units where we cannot influence them. They are also rapidly developing electronic warfare capabilities, which makes it impossible for us to use long-range precision weapons.
"I would especially like to say that the supply of anti-aircraft missile systems such as Stormer, Avenger, Stinger is an urgent issue for fighting the air enemy. That is, if there is even a small advantage in the air, it is already an advantage of the enemy over the ground component. And in the context of a significant increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the enemy - in particular, FPV drones - there is a need to provide our units with electronic warfare equipment. We use electronic warfare; they counter with electronic warfare. So, we have problems in this area. In order to continue offensive assault operations, we would like to have the means to clear areas of mines. You know, no matter how much we have, it is not enough," Tarnavskyy said.
Regarding artillery, he added that the issue of ammunition for 122-mm and 152-mm artillery systems is very acute.
Tarnavskyy believes that F-16 fighters will help, but other areas need to be developed.
"There was no air superiority not because there were no F-16s, but because there are other factors. I said that there are forces and means that we, unfortunately, did not have at that time to counter the Russian air force. We still do not have them now. This is one of the main reasons - strikes by both aircraft and kamikaze drones. And I think that with the acquisition of these means, the Air Force will become stronger, and we will be more active with their support," he said.