Putin’s army is running out of ammunition because the components are manufactured in Ukraine

The Russian despot’s invasion is being hampered further by the discovery that he is running out of functional tanks, rockets, and fighter aircraft. All Russian helicopter, ship, and cruise missile engines, as well as a significant share of fighter jet engines, ground-to-air missile, and tank components, are manufactured in Ukrainian companies, which are no longer supplying Moscow with such equipment.

The announcement comes only days after Russia’s deputy defence minister said that the assault had entered “phase two” of the fight.

He asserted that the next phase will include withdrawing Russian soldiers from Kyiv and concentrate on the Donbas area in the east.

The notion that Russian forces’ significant casualties and stalled progress near Kyiv were somehow part of Putin’s ruse has been generally disregarded by Western officials.

The Kremlin also claimed that the partial retreat was intended to foster peace negotiations between the warring parties, but this assertion was rapidly tainted by tales of Russian forces ruthlessly booby-trapping bodies and buildings as they fled from the region surrounding Kiev.

Russian military have continued to pound Mariupol and have been accused of targeting civilians following reports of hospitals and schools being bombed.

The port city is a vital strategic aim for Putin, not only because seizing it would enable the dictator consolidate power in the east by connecting separatist-controlled Donbas with Crimea, but also because it would allow Russia to replenish its eastern soldiers over water.

The Russian stock crisis will have an impact on the manufacture of T-72 battle tanks, which are one of Russia’s principal armoured vehicles.

The systems used to fire their missiles are made in Izyum, an eastern Ukrainian city that Russia has yet to conquer.

According to open-source intelligence estimates, Russia has already lost 2,000 tanks and armoured vehicles in the fight, while the exact amount might be far higher.

Social media videos show Ukrainian farmers dragging away Russian tanks that have ran out of gasoline or have been abandoned.

According to the Telegraph, Russia will also be unable to replenish air-launched Kh-55 cruise missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads, since they rely on imported components, including an engine made in Kharkiv.

Meanwhile, all Russian missiles launched from helicopters and ships are powered by Ukrainian-made engines.

Western sanctions have also reduced Putin’s capacity to resupply his troops; for example, France has given Russia with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of weaponry since its invasion of Crimea in 2014, a resource they no longer provide.

The supply concerns add to the conclusion that Putin anticipated to be able to rapidly and easily seize Ukraine, particularly Kyiv.

This might be due to erroneous information presented to the Russian leader by the FSB, which was charged with modelling the invasion without being notified that it was a serious prospect, according to Russian insiders.