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Frozen Russian asset proceeds to supply Ukraine with ammo via Czech initiative

A portion of frozen Russian assets in the EU will fund ammunition supplies to Ukraine within the Czech ammunition initiative, the Czech Defense Minister says.

byYuri Zoria

20/08/2024

2 minute read

western-made 155-mm shells combat zone kharkiv oblast rfe/rl 155mm

Western-made 155-mm shells in the combat zone in Kharkiv Oblast. Photo: RFE/RL.

Frozen Russian asset proceeds to supply Ukraine with ammo via Czech initiative

On 20 August, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the EU decided that part of the income from frozen Russian assets within the European Union will be allocated to supply large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine.

The Czech ammunition initiative sources artillery ammunition from countries outside the European Union. About 20 countries fund the effort, aiming to deliver 500,000 shells to Ukraine by the end of the year. The first shipment, consisting of approximately 50,000 shells, was delivered to Ukraine earlier this summer. Also, Czechia launched a second project, Initiative-2025, to purchase ammunition for Ukraine from five Czech arms companies.

Černochová highlighted that this decision will enable the purchase of hundreds of thousands of large-caliber munitions for Ukraine, bolstering its artillery capabilities amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. She emphasized that this decision reflects the trust of European allies in the Czech Republic’s ammunition initiative and represents a unique opportunity to support Ukraine while utilizing resources originally belonging to Russia, thereby saving European public funds.

Czech initiative to deliver 100,000 artillery shells to Ukraine by summer end

Černochová did not specify the exact amount of ammunition that Ukraine will receive through these efforts.

More than two years into the all-out war, both Ukraine and Russia has had shell shortages die to the massive use of artillery. Russia ramped up its shell production and sourced ammunition from its allied countries, primarily from North Korea. Ukraine revived its ammunition production, but mostly depends on supplies from the US and the EU countries.

In March 2024, the European Commission claimed that European production capacity for 155 mm shells had reached 1,000,000 rounds per year by January. However, industry sources suggested in July that the actual capacity is less than 500,000 shells annually.

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