Czech Republic's Plan to Send 800,000 Artillery Shells to Ukraine for Defense

Defense News ,Ukraine :- The Czech Republic is considering sending a large number of artillery shells to Ukraine soon. President Petr Pavel mentioned at the Munich Security Conference that if partner nations secure funding, up to 800,000 shells could be delivered. The delivery might begin in a few weeks and would include 500,000 155mm and 300,000 120mm rounds.

President Pavel revealed that they have identified 500,000 pieces of 155-millimeter ammunition and 300,000 pieces of 122-millimeter ammunition. However, the potential supplier was not disclosed, as it is one of the conditions for procurement.

Earlier, on January 31, Prague proposed a similar plan during an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. The proposal aimed to acquire 450,000 artillery rounds from non-European Union nations. EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell mentioned South Korea as one potential supplier, which contradicted France's stance of focusing on procuring a million promised rounds from local producers.

The goal is to deliver a total of 524,000 shells to Ukraine by March, meeting the original target by the end of the year. The European Union plans to reimburse countries with billions of euros through the European Peace Facility for sending shells from existing stockpiles. Additionally, there is a proposed allocation of €1 billion to support joint procurement of ammunition by the European Defence Agency and €500 million for ammunition production projects.

This initiative is crucial as Russia is reportedly out-shelling Ukraine at a ratio of five-to-one. The Ukrainians are deploying FPV drones with lower ranges to bridge the gap in response to the increased threat.