4 March, 2025
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine will be able to fully meet its artillery needs until the end of the year.
He made the statement during a press conference on March 4, according to Liga.net.
“Ukraine produces its own artillery, and this year, we will fully cover 100% of our artillery needs with domestic production. We have already ramped up production of artillery shells and will be able to provide a significant share of 155mm NATO, 105mm, and 122mm caliber ammunition,” Shmyhal said.
He added that weapons production depends not on industrial capacity but on financial resources, which is why Ukraine relies on partner support under the “Danish model.”
According to Shmyhal, Ukraine has already received over $1 billion from partner countries to fund the production of Ukrainian-made weapons — including artillery, long-range drones, shells, and mines.
“Denmark funded 18 Ukrainian Bohdanas (Ukrainian-manufactured self-propelled howitzer – ed.). This was the first case where another country paid a Ukrainian manufacturer for a Ukrainian product and then delivered it to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are expanding this cooperation, and the ‘Danish model’ is a crucial and promising tool for us. We urge all partners to follow this path,” he said.
Shmyhal also noted that over the past three years, Ukraine has built a new defense-industrial complex, increasing its capacity 35 times to $35 billion per year.
- Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian production currently covers 30% of the Armed Forces’ needs. According to Shmyhal, the goal for 2025 is to raise that number to 50%.
This is very good news. The ratio of artillery between the opposing forces favors Ukraine in some areas, and in others it’s almost equal. This is so, especially when you take the superior qualities in accuracy and range into account for the Ukrainian guns and ammo and the higher mobility. This is a far cry from what it was two years ago when the mafia artillery clobbered Ukrainian forces relentlessly.