Russia's surge in military production outpaces NATO, stirs concerns of potential offensive
The Telegraph noted the significant increase in Russia's military equipment production in their report. It was mentioned a few months ago that Russia has begun repurposing old shopping centers and other civilian infrastructure into weapons factories. Recently, a story about a bakery in Izhevsk being used to manufacture drones made the headlines.
9:07 PM EST, January 27, 2024
The Kremlin has raised military spending from 2.7 percent of GDP in 2022 to 6 percent, representing roughly a third of all state expenditure. Consequently, Russia is presently outpacing the principal NATO countries.
In 2023, Russia produced 1,530 tanks and 2,518 armored combat vehicles, signaling a surge in tank production by 560 percent since February 2022. The manufacture of infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) soared by 360 percent, and the production of armored personnel carriers increased by 350 percent, according to the article.
Furthermore, the Russian Federation is nearing the production of 2 million artillery shells annually, double the quantity initially projected by Western intelligence agencies. Additionally, Russia receives support from Iran and North Korea. On a comparative note, the total European production in Ukraine's first year of the war was about 300,000 pieces of ammunition.
NATO's concerns
As Moscow amplifies its weapon production, NATO is grappling to keep pace:
"Within three years, Russia could establish a decisive advantage on the battlefield," The Telegraph cautions.
Recall that, following NATO's suggestion for alliance countries to prepare their military forces, economy, and civilians for potential conflict; fear enveloped Western societies.
Germany is pondering compensating for the deficit in the army's numerical strength by constructing a new unit for foreigners. While in Sweden, after an expert debate, a panic ensued that had to be quelled by the Prime Minister himself.
Related content: Startling news about the end of the war. Putin seeks peace but imposes conditions.
Nevertheless, The Telegraph reassures Russia's current production levels would unlikely enable a major offensive in 2024. This provides little comfort, as per the sources of the newspaper, the Kremlin aims to accomplish its objective within three to four years:
"They plan to mobilize their defense industry over the next three years, implying a potential attack at least three to four years from now," the article in The Telegraph reads.
