Ukraine's struggle with weapon supply hampers battlefield efforts

Ukraine is entering a new dangerous phase, with Russia’s frequent attacks on energy sources and the demoralising impact this has on the country as a whole, Oleksandr Korniyenko, first deputy chairperson of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, told Euronews.

Moreover, western allies continued vacillating over the use of long-range weapons, and inconsistency over supplies of weapons is having a detrimental impact on the loss of lives on the battlefield, Korniyenko said.

‘It's not only about long-range missiles. It's also about lack of velocity in supply and the usual ammunition because when our troops feel a lack of ammunition, it amounts to a major loss of life’’ among soldiers, he explained.

The country is actively working on the mobilisation of new troops as heavy losses over two and a half years of war take their toll.

"We’re working on mobilisation. We’re working on preparing for training these people to fight inside the country," Korniyenko said.** Earlier in the year, President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25 and overhauled the process.

It also includes rules for Ukrainians abroad who must register for military service. "Without military registration documents, men liable for military service may be restricted from receiving consular services," the rules say.

The protracted nature of the war was compounded by the ad hoc and unpredictable access to weapons — where, during Ukraine’s counteroffensive, troops outlined how they were forced to ration shells amid a Russian onslaught.

Mobilisation is "perceived as a one-way ticket, where the only way to end service is to die or become disabled," according to Oleksandr V Danylyuk, writing for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

"Under such conditions, joining the army entailed a practical rejection of hopes for a normal life, destroyed families, and being forced to leave one’s profession forever," he noted.

Meat-grinder tactics and first step to world war

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy revealed Ukrainian intelligence received confirmation North Korea is training 10,000 troops to fight on Ukrainian territory for Russia — a step towards a "new world war," he warned.

Putin’s "meat-grinder" tactics — sending thousands of troops to the frontline as a means of exposing Ukrainian defence locations means Russia is losing around 1,000 soldiers a day.

'We have information from our intelligence that officers from the North Korean army are on Ukrainian territory from the side of Russian enemies," Zelenskyy told journalists in Brussels.

"This is really an urgent thing, Putin is doing it because of the gap in mobilisation, because of lots of losses, Russian losses on the battlefield. And Putin is afraid of mobilization very much because social opinion is against his war," he said. "This is the first step to a world war."

He was attending an EU summit of leaders to outline his "victory plan," also delivering it to NATO defence ministers. The majority of EU countries gave him their support for the plan which involves an invitation to NATO membership, and the ability to use western weapons to target Russian military facilities.

Korniyenko said Ukraine will “still fight” whatever the outcome of the long-range missile discussion might be.

He also believes permission to use long-range missiles will eventually be granted after negotiations between allies in Western governments.

"After the very hard days of 22 February, we eventually received tanks. After that, we eventually received F-16s, which we have right now," Korniyenko said.