Estonia’s top military commander said fresh intelligence on Russia’s ability to produce ammunition and recruit troops has prompted a re-evaluation among NATO allies and a spate of warnings to prepare for a long-term conflict.

Martin Herem, the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, said predictions that Russian forces would reach the limits of their resources haven’t come true. President Vladimir Putin’s military has the capacity to produce several million artillery shells a year, far outstripping European efforts, and can recruit hundreds of thousands of new troops, he said.

The general from Estonia, which shares a nearly 300-kilometer (186-mile) border with Russia, joins a growing number of North Atlantic Treaty Organization military chiefs who have warned over the past month that the alliance should prepare for a war footing with the Kremlin. Herem referenced an earlier estimate that Russia could produce a million artillery shells a year.

“A lot of people thought they couldn’t go beyond that — today, the facts tell us otherwise,” Herem said in an interview in Tallinn. “They can produce even more — many times more — ammunition.”

Non-paywall link

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    11 months ago

    TL;DR: Russia can produce ammunition for trash weapons at great speed, and has vast amounts of untrained meat to throw at the front lines.

  • someguy3@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    NATO overestimated Russia’s actual war capability, but underestimated Russia’s willingness to grind.

      • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Horde tactics were definitely more effective back when we didn’t have laser guided 20,000 pound bombs that can turn the horde into pretty glass across the fields of Ukraine.

  • BangelaQuirkel@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Keep in mind that the Nazis back in the day had sophisticated weaponry and a lot of high quality stuff, but they were beaten by cheap, mass produced, easy to use weapons and armor. Among other things - but the point still stands.

    • gregorum@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      The Ukrainians are not Nazis, nor are they invading Russia.

      • BangelaQuirkel@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        This true but also irrelevant to the point that technological supremacy doesn’t equal a guaranteed win.

    • Wanderer@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      The Germans were artisans.

      They could build beautiful tanks in a beautiful way the west could only dream of. They kept skilled workers doing a craft that was the envy of workers around the world.

      An American tank was fixed with replaceable parts punched out on a factory line by a women with 2 hours of experience. Germans tanks were unique and were taken back and repaired in a factory that had been bombed 3 times.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I think Estonia is just pointing out a reality. Russia can produce and buy far more artillery shells, for example, than the EU can produce. When the US production is added NATO pulls more even, but Russia still can present a workable line.

  • Red_October@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    They’re just not doing that in their war with Ukraine because if they get their asses beat in this fight, nobody will take them seriously in the NEXT fight until it’s too late! It’s 4D Chess, not a complete failure!