Russia’s production costs are also far lower than the West’s, in part because Moscow is sacrificing safety and quality in its effort to build weapons more cheaply, Mr. Salm said. For instance, it costs a Western country $5,000 to $6,000 to make a 155-millimeter artillery round, whereas it costs Russia about $600 to produce a comparable 152-millimeter artillery shell, he said.

Western MIC when it costs them 6 billion dollars to make a jeep: These Russians are cutting corners!!!

Russia’s production costs are also far lower than the West’s, in part because Moscow is sacrificing safety and quality in its effort to build weapons more cheaply, Mr. Salm said. For instance, it costs a Western country $5,000 to $6,000 to make a 155-millimeter artillery round, whereas it costs Russia about $600 to produce a comparable 152-millimeter artillery shell, he said.

I wonder how much of this is being produced by leftover giant Soviet industrial machinery that is getting pulled out of mothballs and put back into operation. Lenin bails out Putin, once again.

Funny because this was also what Nazi Germany found out when they went against the USSR.

American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose the sensitive assessment now concede.

So is this a “don’t let the enemy know what you know about their capacity” strategy or are they just scared of being unable to spin it if it becomes official? What are the chances they’re lying to Ukraine and having them think Russia is still producing one missile a month lol

As a result of the push, Russia is now producing more ammunition than the United States and Europe. Overall, Kusti Salm, a senior Estonian defense ministry official, estimated that Russia’s current ammunition production is seven times greater than that of the West.

Ok… but this has to be a psyop by the west right? How in the hell are they failing this bad that an isolated and sanctioned country is producing more ammo than a military alliance that encompasses nearly an entire continent? I always took those “the US is running out of ammo” articles with a grain of salt, but this is just odd.

Russia’s production costs are also far lower than the West’s, in part because Moscow is sacrificing safety and quality in its effort to build weapons more cheaply

Safety for workers I can believe. Quite a few explosions at military plants in Russia. But quality? I’ve heard more horror stories from American branded ammo than Russian steel ammo. Granted they’re also doing artillery shells, but it’s all the same quality I imagine.

Soviet efficiency

so russia is producing artillery at a rate seven times higher... even if four rounds out of seven are duds, that's still 3x the ammunition the west can produce

Every time I see these, I do wonder how much is true and how much is about eeking out more defence spending

With revenue from high energy prices, Russia’s security services and ministry of defense have been able to smuggle in the microelectronics and other Western materials required for cruise missiles and other precision guided weaponry.

This line caught my eye. How crazy do the electronics/ microchips have be? Isn't there a pretty good chance between Russia and China they can just make this stuff? I'd be really shocked if they're smuggling anything.

Russia’s production costs are also far lower than the West’s, in part because Moscow is sacrificing safety and quality in its effort to build weapons more cheaply, Mr. Salm said. For instance, it costs a Western country $5,000 to $6,000 to make a 155-millimeter artillery round, whereas it costs Russia about $600 to produce a comparable 152-millimeter artillery shell, he said.

Russian cold war era guns are also cheaper, and you can use them to slam the wall of a house until it collapses and the guns would still work. What kind of cope is it to say that an artillery round needs to be expensive to produce, the technology is so old that it exists since song dynasty China

It'd be funny if Russia turns it negative demographic growth by returning to a slightly more productive economy and a slightly less financialized economy. I know it's wartime economics but would be nice to see materialist dialectics working in real time.