Russia Gains Ground as Ukraine Runs Low on Ammunition

Ukraine's soldiers are running out of ammunition along the frontlines against Russia, while Moscow is reported to have retaken the initiative in the nearly three-year-long war.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander told reporters Tuesday that Kyiv was running out of the weapons it needs to fight against Moscow's invasion now that Washington's funding for the war has come to a halt. Congressional Republicans have blocked requests from President Joe Biden to sign off on additional military aid for Ukraine pending a bill that also includes a boost in funding for America's border security.

During a press briefing, Wallander, who oversees international security affairs for the Pentagon, said that the U.S. has received concerns from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense that some of Kyiv's military units "do not have the stocks and the stores of ammunition that they require, and that is one of the reasons we have been focusing on the need to answer Congress's questions so that they are able to move forward on a decision to pass the supplemental [funding]."

The U.S. Department of Defense ran out of the money allotted by Congress to fund Ukraine's fight late last month—the last aid package, which totaled $250 million, was announced on December 27. Biden has since asked lawmakers for $60 billion in additional aid for Kyiv and has warned Republicans that Russia could succeed in its invasion if Washington does not continue to support Ukraine.

Newsweek reached out to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense via email Tuesday for comment.

Wallander's comment comes as Russia reportedly gained momentum along the frontlines in Ukraine in recent days. Several Kremlin-affiliated milbloggers claimed that Moscow's troops made advances in the Luhansk region just south of the city of Kupyansk, reported the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Russian sources also claimed gains near Kreminna, although the ISW was unable to confirm such reports.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Ground Forces, Volodymyr Fitio, said during an interview on national television Tuesday that Kyiv's forces had retreated from the village of Krokhmalne—located roughly 18 miles southeast of Kupyans—in order to "protect the lives of Ukrainian defenders."

"They were ordered to move to reserve positions prepared beforehand, where they are now holding their defense, preventing the enemy from advancing farther," Fitio said, according to a report from Ukrinform, the national news agency of Ukraine. The military spokesman added that retreating was a "temporary measure."

Russia also made confirmed advances south of Avdiivka, an industrial village that has seen some of the most intense fighting in recent months. The ISW reported that geolocated footage showed Russia gaining territory on Monday and continuing to advance toward the village.