Russia says it repelled land and drone attacks
Moscow said on Wednesday it had thwarted a wave of Ukrainian drones, plus a landing attempt by Kyiv on Crimea.
Thirty-one Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk bordering Ukraine, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
It did not release any information about potential casualties or damage.
Since the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in June, Moscow has accused Kyiv of attacking Russian territory almost every day – be it with drones, missiles or artillery.
The Russian Defence Ministry also reported on Wednesday it had repulsed an attempted landing of Ukrainian forces on Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces onboard a “fast military boat and three jet skis” were heading towards Cape Tarkhankout, in the northwest of the Black Sea peninsula, it claimed.
This summer Moscow alleged several times it had destroyed Ukrainian military boats in the Black Sea that were sailing towards Crimea.
No plans for new mobilisation in Russia – Defence Minister
More men will not be called up to fight in the Russian army, as hundreds of thousands have signed up already this year, Sergei Shoigu claimed.
“There are no plans for an additional mobilisation,” said the Russian Defence Minister on state television. “The armed forces have the necessary number of military personnel to conduct the special military operation.”
He claimed more than 335,000 people have entered military service under “volunteer formations,” with 50,000 signing contracts in September alone.
Russia is trying to beef up its armed forces as the Ukraine war grows ever more attritional while incorporating fighters from the Wagner mercenary force. Shoigu’s figures indicate Moscow has made significant steps towards these goals.
President Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 troops in September last year, which caused a mass exodus of Russians unwilling to fight and triggered protests across the country.
Putin has repeatedly claimed there will not be another, with some Russian officials saying the first was a mistake as it promoted anti-war sentiment and so many to leave.
West says it is running out of ammo
Western allies of Ukraine have said they are exhausting their stocks of ammunition, possibly raising implications for Kyiv’s war effort against Russia.
Most of the thousands of shells Ukraine fires every day come from NATO.
However, Adm Rob Bauer, the US-led military alliance’s most senior military official, told the Warsaw Security Forum that “the bottom of the barrel is now visible”.
Governments and manufacturers must “ramp up production in a much higher tempo”, he added.
The admiral pointed the finger at a chronic lack of spending in NATO countries, which meant ammunition stockpiles were insufficient, even before Russia invaded Ukraine.
“We need large volumes. The just-in-time, just-enough economy we built together in 30 years in our liberal economies is fine for a lot of things – but not the armed forces when there is a war ongoing.”
Echoing this claim that ammo supplies were “looking a bit thin”, UK Defence Minister James Heappey urged fellow NATO members to spend 2% of GDP on defence, as they have agreed to do.
“If it’s not the time – when there is a war in Europe – to spend 2% on defence, then when is?” he asked.
In comparison, analysts say Russia appears more capable of ramping up production to replenish depleted military stocks.
A deal on accelerating the production of munition and missiles in Europe to deliver to Ukraine was struck in July.
