Russia, it is becoming increasingly clear, appears to be preparing for a protracted war in Ukraine. Moscow is now procuring tons of ammunition from Belarus, and the warehouses there are still well stocked from Soviet times.
The government has now also launched a push to introduce a war economy in Russia, reports the Kommersant portal. This would allow the state to have direct access to the production capacities of all companies. This is not primarily about armaments (although these are also affected), but more about becoming less dependent on western imports. You can read more below in the article by my colleague Frank Herold.
The word war economy was also recently used by French President Macron. He wanted to swear the French to deprivation. But France, like Ukraine’s other western allies, also faces the problem of how to keep the flow of arms supplies going.
In the case of France, it is about the Caesar howitzers (pictured above). 18 units are planned for Ukraine (a dozen are already in use at the front). However, the armaments company Nexter has only been able to produce a small number of the systems per year so far. Only 77 are currently in service with the French army. This shows that the West will also have to think about how to adapt its armaments economy to what may be a long conflict in Ukraine.
1. 20 years of the International Criminal Court: Vladimir Putin must not get away with itThe Hague tribunal needs a reform that Germany should initiate: Aggression from non-party states must also be prosecuted. A guest post.
2. Intellectuals call for a ceasefire in Ukraine: Open letters are part of an open societyIn Russia, the war in Ukraine must not be discussed. For democracies, the dispute, also about questions of principle, is constitutive. A comment.
3. War against Ukraine: Russia switches to a war economy The Russian government wants a blanket power of attorney in wartime to secure the army’s operations abroad. Parliament would lose influence.
