Russia for two days pummelled Ukraine with mass strikes aimed in particular at energy facilities
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Russia's move to use AZP-57 guns indicates issues with Moscow's weapons supply
  • British defense minister previously said that Russia will likely run out of weapons before Ukraine
  • A recent report said Moscow will likely face an acute shortage of weaponry and armored vehicles by year-end

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Monday mocked Russia for resorting to using old weapons in the ongoing war.

In a Twitter post, the defense ministry attached a video showing what Ukraine identified to be several AZP-57 anti-aircraft guns being pulled out of storage and hauled onto parked trucks.

"Meeting at the crossroads. While #UAarmy is mastering IRIS-T, NASAMS, Aspide, the terrorist state is getting 70 year-old AZP-57 anti-aircraft guns from its warehouses," Ukraine's Defense Ministry wrote in the caption. "Ukraine confidently stepping into the future. The empire is returning to where it belongs — in the past."

The video also captured several men discussing the weapons off-camera. One of the men, whose identity was not revealed, also mocked the Russian army for pulling out old weapons from their storage.

"Just what kind of guns are these? From what century?" one of the men asked.

Russia's move to use AZP-57 guns in the war indicates issues with Moscow's weapons supply.

Last week, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace told Sky News that Russia will likely run out of weapons before Ukraine does due to sanctions imposed by Europe and the West.

In August, independent Russian news outlet The Insider also reported that Moscow will likely face an acute shortage of shells, artillery and armored vehicles by the end of 2022. It also noted that Russia has used at least 7 million shells in the war in Ukraine since February. The estimate did not include the number of shells that were lost after Kyiv struck Moscow's frontline storage sites.

"If the intensity of the war remains at its current level, Moscow will face a tangible shell shortage by the end of 2022 and will have to reduce its use of artillery in order to save munitions," the outlet reported at the time.

Apart from the crippling sanctions and the Russian army's own usage, Moscow's depleting reserves could also be caused by fleeing troops abandoning hardware, including tanks, artillery shells and howitzers.

The G7 is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss Russia's recent bombing blitz across Ukraine
AFP