On 20 August, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the EU decided that part of the income from frozen Russian assets within the European Union will be allocated to supply large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine.

Černochová highlighted that this decision will enable the purchase of hundreds of thousands of large-caliber munitions for Ukraine, bolstering its artillery capabilities amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. She emphasized that this decision reflects the trust of European allies in the Czech Republic’s ammunition initiative and represents a unique opportunity to support Ukraine while utilizing resources originally belonging to Russia, thereby saving European public funds.

Czech initiative to deliver 100,000 artillery shells to Ukraine by summer end

Černochová did not specify the exact amount of ammunition that Ukraine will receive through these efforts.

More than two years into the all-out war, both Ukraine and Russia has had shell shortages die to the massive use of artillery. Russia ramped up its shell production and sourced ammunition from its allied countries, primarily from North Korea. Ukraine revived its ammunition production, but mostly depends on supplies from the US and the EU countries.

In March 2024, the European Commission claimed that European production capacity for 155 mm shells had reached 1,000,000 rounds per year by January. However, industry sources suggested in July that the actual capacity is less than 500,000 shells annually.

Related:

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• Czech initiative to deliver 100,000 artillery shells to Ukraine by summer end
• Reuters: Decades of neglect in West caused 155mm shell crisis for Ukrainian forces
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• Serbia won’t ban ammo sales to third countries supplying Ukraine, PM Vučević says
• Ukraine, Czech Republic sign weapons production agreements in Prague
• Czech Republic to supply up to 100,000 shells monthly to Ukraine, says President Pavel