Read previewAn American veteran fighting in Ukraine said soldiers in his unit prefer to use Soviet-era rifles over modern ones because it's easier to find ammunition, including by taking it from the Russians.
Jonathan Poquette is currently serving as a sniper in Ukraine, and he said that his unit prefers AK-74 rifles, which are chambered for 5.45×39mm rounds.
He said that the prolific availability of older rifles among Ukraine's soldiers was also partly an issue with Ukraine's planning.
This has also included ammunition from defeated Russian soldiers, or that fleeing Russians have left behind.
Ukraine's ammunition shortagesUkraine is suffering from extensive shortages of ammunition and weaponry that have had serious ramifications all along the front lines.
Persons:
—, Jonathan Poquette, Poquette, Nuzhnenko, Kalashnikov, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr Zekenskyy, Frederick Kagan, Serhii Mykhalchuk
Organizations:
Service, Business, AK, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Poquette, Chosen Company, 59th Motorized Brigade, NATO, US, REUTERS, Artillery Rocket Systems, EU
Locations:
Ukraine, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Russian, Bakhmut, Radio Free Europe, Kyiv, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Russia, Europe, Czech Republic