Russia will be able to support its hostilities in the current scale from two to five years - WSJ
According to the publication, two European intelligence agrees that Russia has a sufficient arsenal to continue hostilities for several years. The analysis of Russian statistics, conducted by the Central Bank of Finland, shows twice growing from the beginning of the war in industries such as the production of optical products and metals related to the military industry.
However, the Finland Bank warns that growth in production and defense costs may be unstable due to the outflow of investments, labor and materials from other sectors of the Russian economy. The analysis also shows that production is mostly focused on low -tech products, such as steel rolled, not more complex products, as semiconductors where Russia depends on foreign suppliers. Some analysts call into question the certainty of Russian military production data.
For example, Russia does not separate newly produced armored vehicles and old models, removed from storage and repaired. Thus, the Omsk Omsktransmash Plant produces tanks similar to the T-62 (not released since the 1970s) and T-54/55 (developed after the Second World War). These models are inferior in quality to new tanks, and their stocks are limited.
Russia also uses the reserves of old artillery ammunition (about 3 million shells, most of which are in poor condition), according to the British Rusi Analytical Center. Rusi and other analysts claim that internal ammunition production in Russia does not cover the need for Ukraine, which makes Moscow rely on foreign allies. North Korea, Iran and Belarus supply ammunition, and Russia receives components, such as computer chips and chemicals, from China.
North Korean plants operate at full capacity, supplying 3 mm artillery shells in Russia (from September 2023-about 3 million). Ukrainian intelligence notes the poor quality of North Korean ammunition, which sometimes even destroy Russian guns. In exchange for supply, Russia is shared with China and North Korea by technical military data, NATO representative reports.