Ukrainian forces have sharply reduced their use of artillery systems and armored vehicles as weapons become increasingly scarce, military expert and retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk told NEWS.ru. Part of the remaining equipment is being held back to preserve resources for possible counteroffensive operations.

Matviychuk said it would still be premature to speak of a collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, noting that Ukrainian troops attempted a counterattack in the Zaporozhye area several days ago. At the same time, he pointed to a steep decline in the number of artillery systems and armored vehicles being deployed.

According to the expert, Ukraine’s air defense capabilities have already been completely exhausted.

He said weapons in general have become scarce and are now being kept in reserve. While Ukrainian forces previously could use artillery and tanks to strike for entire days, they are now concealing and preserving that equipment instead.

Matviychuk linked this approach to the arrival of the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Mikhail Drapaty. According to him, Drapaty ordered available resources to be reserved so that Ukrainian forces would retain the ability to conduct counteroffensive operations.

Earlier, military expert Yuri Knutov said Washington would not supply Kiev with missiles for Patriot air defense systems during the coming winter. At the same time, he suggested that the United States could offer Ukraine other types of weapons so that Vladimir Zelensky would not express dissatisfaction.