Mass, Mobilisation and Reserve Forces

The Russian military has started pulling apart civilian goods to cannibalise components such as microchips to build precision-guided missiles and drones, the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a UK-based defence think tank, said in an August report on the impact of sanctions. But taking parts from items such as games consoles to source “dual use” chips for weapons, Rusi said, makes them far less reliable.

Emily Ferris, a Russia research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) in London, said: “The arson attacks in themselves are unusual in Russia – it’s an attack on an important symbol of the Russian military, and it’s clear there’s growing dissatisfaction with a war that is now starting to affect Russian people’s daily lives, whereas before it was something fairly possible to ignore.

Jack Watling, an expert on land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute in London, believes there is still ample scope for Ukraine to supply itself with many of the weapons it needs. “There is sufficient time to resolve that problem before it becomes critical in terms of stepping up manufacture,” Watling said, noting that Kyiv can source certain ammunition from countries that don’t immediately need theirs, or whose stocks are about to expire. “So we can continue to supply Ukraine,” Watling said, “but there is a point where especially with certain critical natures, the Ukrainians will need to be cautious about their rate of expenditure and where they prioritize those munitions, because there isn’t an infinite supply.”

The Russian military has started pulling apart civilian goods to cannibalise components such as microchips to build precision-guided missiles and drones, the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a UK-based defence think tank, said in an August report on the impact of sanctions. But taking parts from items such as games consoles to source “dual use” chips for weapons, Rusi said, makes them far less reliable.

Emily Ferris, a Russia research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) in London, said: “The arson attacks in themselves are unusual in Russia – it’s an attack on an important symbol of the Russian military, and it’s clear there’s growing dissatisfaction with a war that is now starting to affect Russian people’s daily lives, whereas before it was something fairly possible to ignore.

Jack Watling, an expert on land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute in London, believes there is still ample scope for Ukraine to supply itself with many of the weapons it needs. “There is sufficient time to resolve that problem before it becomes critical in terms of stepping up manufacture,” Watling said, noting that Kyiv can source certain ammunition from countries that don’t immediately need theirs, or whose stocks are about to expire. “So we can continue to supply Ukraine,” Watling said, “but there is a point where especially with certain critical natures, the Ukrainians will need to be cautious about their rate of expenditure and where they prioritize those munitions, because there isn’t an infinite supply.”