Ukraine is no longer low on artillery ammo because Russia abandoned so much in recent retreats, report says

According to The Wall Street Journal, Ukraine's counter-offensive is being powered by the leftover Russian bullets.

Tanks, other armored vehicles and howitzers were among the hardware that soldiers abandoned during Russia's hasty retreat from Kharkiv.

The paper reported that they left behind a large amount of Soviet- caliber shells.

One officer told the paper that the Russians no longer have a firepower advantage.

They didn't have time to fuel up or load their tanks after we smashed up all their units. Everything was left behind when they fled.

The equipment is being turned on Russian forces by the Ukrainians.

As a hub for Russia's operations in the region, the recapture of Lyman provides strategic advantages.

In the past, Ukraine struggled to match Russia's strength in numbers.

Russian or Soviet equipment makes it hard for the Ukrainians to replenish their stock.

In March, western officials said that Ukrainian troops in Mariupol were stealing from Russians.

The governor of the southern region of Mykolaiv told Voice of America that they were out of bullets.

An unnamed defense official told the WSJ in late August that the US depletes its own reserves of 155mm bullets in supplying Ukraine.

Since the counter-offensive in September, this has changed. Russian soldiers abandoned their guns and tanks as they regained control of the northeastern region.

One Ukrainian soldier, identified only as "Birdie," told the Telegraph that they left a lot of vehicles and equipment. We couldn't move it to our rear.

It's true that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense mocked the Russians as the largest supplier of equipment for the Ukrainian army.

—Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 11, 2022

Russian tanks were captured by Ukrainians throughout the war, according to Oryx, a project that tracks military equipment usage and losses. More than 300 tanks have been supplied to Ukraine from other countries.

Foreign donations are outnumbered by armored fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles captured from Russia.