Russia’s defense industry “significantly increased” production output last year, primarily by expanding its workforce to 3.5 million people, boosting production lines and bringing idle manufacturing capacity back into service, British officials said Friday.

The production of crucial artillery rounds by Russia rose sharply in 2023 and will likely increase further this year, the officials said on X in their latest assessment of the battlefield in Ukraine.

“However, munition production is likely to peak in the next 12 months due to capacity constraints,” they said.

A significant proportion of the increased defense-related output comes from refurbishment of stocks rather than new production. For example, most Russian battle tanks produced last year consisted of fixed vehicles, British officials said.

“Although the defense industry is unable to fully meet the demands of Russian operations against Ukraine, it is almost certainly capable of delivering a material advantage over Ukraine throughout 2024,” they said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.