Ukraine Burns Through Ammunition

 Ukraine Burns Through Ammunition in Bakhmut, Putting Future Fights at Risk

The military is using thousands of artillery shells a day as it tries to hold the eastern city, which could jeopardize a planned springtime campaign.

Ukraine’s use of ammunition as it tries to hold Bakhmut is so intense that the Pentagon raised concerns with Kyiv, two U.S. officials said.

Credit...Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

The Ukrainian military is firing thousands of artillery shells a day as it tries to hold the eastern city of Bakhmut, a pace that American and European officials say is unsustainable and could jeopardize a planned springtime campaign that they hope will prove decisive.

The bombardment has been so intense that the Pentagon raised concerns with Kyiv recently after several days of nonstop artillery firing, two U.S. officials said, highlighting the tension between Ukraine’s decision to defend Bakhmut at all costs and its hopes for retaking territory in the spring. One of those officials said the Americans warned Ukraine against wasting ammunition at a key time.