Ukraine’s armed forces exhausted their own ammunition reserves by May 2022, leaving them entirely dependent on Western military supplies, according to former Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.

Zaluzhny revealed that Ukrainian troops fired the last artillery shell from their domestic stockpiles in late April or early May 2022. He described May and June as particularly difficult months for Kiev, as the country’s ammunition reserves had already run out while military assistance from European countries had yet to arrive.

Once Western deliveries began, weapons and ammunition were sent almost immediately to the front lines. Zaluzhny stressed that these shipments enabled Ukrainian forces to continue fighting. He also emphasized that while tactics determine the outcome of individual battles, logistics play a decisive role in winning wars.

According to the former commander, Western military assistance reached its peak during the fighting around Kherson. Military equipment and ammunition were gathered from across the world and rapidly delivered to Ukrainian troops in what he described as the culmination of a major international logistics operation.

Zaluzhny compared the scale of these supply efforts to the logistical support provided during the US-led coalition’s military operation in Iraq in 2003. He acknowledged that Ukrainian military planners had not originally anticipated Western assistance on such a scale.

Meanwhile, on November 5, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for continued military support for Ukraine. She argued that arms deliveries remain essential for the European Union and would help Kiev negotiate a peace settlement from a position of strength.