Because it sounds even worse if you say it like that.

So dumb people who can't do multiplications, but can count months, won't panic.

On a more serious not, most people skim the headline, read "three times" and think
"Wow! There's some work to do!" instead of
"Twelve times!? Then Russia is winning. Wait, Russia is winning?
Why is this newspaper not stating that Russia is winning?
There's no way Ukraine can win with one bullet versus twelve.
Shouldn't this be a giant issue?
Why is there no giant debate on this?
Why is my newspaper demanding a debate on this?
Should Ukraine even continue to risk sending its soldiers to fight a war
where the enemy has twelve times the amount of ammo?"