Russia's Decreasing Artillery Fire Rates May Be Due To Ongoing Logistics Problems

Russia is forced to use a lot of commandeered civilian vehicles for transporting its troops in supplies in Ukraine. 

Part of the reason is because they have no alternative. Another reason is that devastating Ukrainian HIMARS barrages are forcing them to try to disguise the way they are transporting munitions. But it is not good for the ammunition's accuracy or even usability. JL 

Trent Telenko reports in Twitter:

As to the ongoing collapse of Russian artillery tactical truck logistics inside Ukraine, Russian 122mm artillery shells are simply being dumped out the side of a civilian vehicle into the dirt.Russia has been using a lot of civilian vehicles since March 2022 in its '2nd strategic echelon."Some of this may be the Russians simply trying to remove the shell box signature from Ukrainian drone surveillance view...but it makes too much sense for this to simply be a Russian artillery logistics system on the ragged edge around the Ukrainian "HIMARS Blockade"As to the ongoing collapse of Russian artillery tactical truck logistics inside Ukraine, Russian 122mm artillery shells are simply being dumped out the side of a civilian vehicle into the dirt.

 

A 122mm round is properly packaged two to a 80-85 kg box with two propellent charges and two fuzes.Here are some of the length/height ratios of shell boxes I looked at- 152mm 3V028: 93x259mm(3.6) 152mm 3VOF96, 3VOF97, 3VOF98: 1013x260mm(3.9) 122mm 3VS12, 3VS13, 3VO56: 1193x231mm(5.2)

 

A 122mm 1193x231mm box is hard to fit into a lot of civilian vehicles. And Russia has been using a lot of civilian vehicles since March 2022 in its '2nd strategic echelon."If you are weight but not volume constrained using UAZ SGR family models 39625, 3962, and 2206. Stripping the shell packaging and pitching shells out the back makes sense from the movement POV (but ignoringsafety).This same 'weight but not volume constrained' thought applies to the Russian GAZelle style "Scooby Vans" as well.

 

Some of this may be the Russians simply trying to remove the shell box signature from Ukrainian drone surveillance view... ...but it makes too much sense for this to simply be a Russian artillery logistics system on the ragged edge around the Ukrainian "HIMARS Blockade"