The Telegraph reports on the inadequate performance of Ukraine's allies in countering Russia's arms offensive
Speaking about the increase in the level of production of weapons and ammunition in Russia after the war in Ukraine, the British media wrote that supporters of Ukraine in NATO were unable to act proportionately and accordingly in relation to it, which could have a significant impact on the overall change in the military situation.
In a report on the modernization of the Russian arms industry after the war in Ukraine, British media suggested that Moscow had turned bakeries and even classrooms into tools for increasing weapons production while NATO struggles to keep up. This report, published in the Telegraph newspaper, referring to the transformation of the modern Italmas shopping center in the Izhevsk region into the Italmas research center for the production of Lancet drones for use in the Ukrainian war, states: “Several shopping centers, bakeries and other urban infrastructure were converted into weapons factories following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022." Russian citizens were also asked to work six days a week and volunteer in factories as part of enhanced military measures. A Western official told the Telegraph: "We currently have a scenario in which Russia devotes 40% of its GDP to this war, and that is more than the amount allocated to health and education." This is a statistic that the West as a whole is trying to match. Defense experts warn that over time, this could give Russia a significant fundamental advantage to win the war in Ukraine. Although the urgency of the situation is widely felt behind closed doors, the actions of Western governments are incomparably inadequate. Official statistics show that Russia increased its military spending from 2.7 percent of GDP in 2022 to 3.9 percent in 2023 and to 6 percent, or about a third of all government spending, in 2024. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in December 2023 that Moscow produced 1,530 tanks and 2,518 armored vehicles in 2023. This shows a 560% increase in tank production from February 2022. The production of infantry fighting vehicles also increased by 360%, and armored personnel carriers by 350%.
