Sanctions hamper Russia's ability to make advanced weapons, NATO says

Record ID: 1689290

  • Title: Sanctions hamper Russia's ability to make advanced weapons, NATO says
  • Date: 16th September 2022
  • Summary: TALLINN, ESTONIA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2022) (REUTERS) CHAIR OF NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE ADMIRAL ROB BAUER SEATED FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIR OF NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE, ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, SAYING: “They (Russian army) are hampered more and more by the sanctions. Because some of the components that they need for their weapons systems actually came from Western industry. So, they are hampered. We now see the first serious signs of that in terms of their ability to produce, for example, the replacement of cruise missiles and more advanced weaponry.” BAUER LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIR OF NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE, ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE STARTS ON SHOT OF UNIFORM WITH BADGES) “We have to assume that the Russians have still a considerable industrial base and that they are able to produce a lot of ammunition, as far as we know. They have a lot of, they still have a lot of ammunition. The consumption rates on the Russian side is even much higher than on the Ukrainian side. But there is indications that the Russians are roaming the world market for ammunition at the moment as well in other countries, not being NATO allies or supporters of Ukraine. So it might, it might mean that they have an issue with ammunition supplies as well." BAUER'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIR OF NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE, ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, SAYING: “We see limited numbers of fresh (Russian) troops coming in. And the one thing that we're sure of is that the training level of those troops is not very high. So, I mean, it’s about 85% of the Russian forces are in Ukraine. So, they do not have a lot of reserve in their standing army to bring to Ukraine basically." BAUER LISTENING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIR OF NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE, ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, SAYING: "And in Russia, basically every unit gets its direction from higher authorities, from a higher level. And therefore, if something changes, they are basically reporting back, waiting for a new order and whilst that was ongoing, the Ukrainians advanced so quickly that the Russians didn't get an answer before they could respond, and then they had to retreat further and then had to retreat further. So, the Ukrainians are basically leaving the 'how' up to the platoon level. That is a group of 30 soldiers with a young lieutenant and they are basically choosing themselves what the next step is. And that is one of the reasons why they are so successful at the moment because the Russians are fighting in a very old-fashioned way in that sense." BAUER'S FACE / NATO SIGN
  • Embargoed: 30th September 2022 13:22
  • Keywords: NATO leaders NATO military chief Russian ammunition Russian troops Ukraine counter-offensive
  • Location: TALLINN, ESTONIA
  • City: TALLINN, ESTONIA
  • Country: Estonia
  • Topics: Europe,NATO,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001583616092022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Western sanctions are starting to hurt Russia's ability to make advanced weaponry for the war in Ukraine, a top NATO military adviser told Reuters on Friday (September 16), although he added Russian industry could still manufacture "a lot of ammunition."
    “They are hampered more and more by the sanctions - because some of the components that they need for their weapons systems come from the Western industry," Rob Bauer, a Dutch Admiral who chairs NATO's Military Committee, said in an interview.
    Both sides in the war are facing challenges because the conventional conflict has required expending military supplies at rates unseen in decades, said Bauer.
    “As far as we know, the Russians still have a considerable industrial base and are able to produce a lot of ammunition. And they still have a lot of ammunition”, he added, speaking ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defence chiefs starting in Estonia later on Friday.
    The United States, the European Union and other countries announced several packages of sanctions against Moscow after its February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which included a ban on the sale of advanced technology.
    President Vladimir Putin said on September 12 that Russia was holding up well in the face of Western sanctions. "The economic blitzkrieg tactics, the onslaught they were counting on, did not work," he said on state TV while chairing a meeting on the economy.
    Bauer said that about 85% of Russian troops are already fighting in Ukraine, limiting Russia's ability to enlarge its military presence as it cannot announce a general mobilization without declaring a war.
    “We see limited numbers of fresh troops coming in. And the one thing that we're sure of is that the training level of those troops is not very high”, said Bauer.
    This month Ukraine has stunned Russia with a counter-offensive in the northeast Kharkiv region, with Ukrainian officials saying 9,000 sq km (3,400 sq miles) have been retaken, about the size of the island of Cyprus.
    Bauer said the advance was successful due largely to NATO-standard Ukrainian troop training since 2014 that had allowed its units to take initiative.
    “Every Russian unit gets its direction from higher authorities, therefore, if something changes, they are waiting for a new order. The Ukrainians advanced so quickly that the Russians didn't get (new orders) and had to retreat and retreat”.
    Moscow says that what it calls a "special military operation" was necessary to prevent Ukraine from being used as a platform for Western aggression and to defend Russian speakers. Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss these arguments as baseless pretexts for an imperial-style war of aggression.
    (Production: Janis Laizans, Malgorzata Wojtunik)
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