Who Ultimately Benefits from the Russo-Ukrainian War?

It is the tenth month of fighting in Ukraine. So there is growing concern about the ability of the allies to maintain the pace of arms supplies, which are necessary to effectively confront Russian troops. 

After the end of the cold war, this is the first “high-intensity” conflict and it requires an extremely large amount of military equipment and ammunition every day. According to experts, in the midst of the fighting, Russian and Ukrainian artillery fired from 20 to 60 thousand shells a day.

To allow the Ukrainians to respond to the barrage of fire from Russia, NATO countries have widely used their arsenals. More than a million shells have been officially delivered to Kyiv: 924 thousand 155 mm caliber, 125 thousand 120 mm, 180 thousand 105 mm. 

It’s the same with portable weapons, which are very useful in close combat. During this time the Ukrainians received about 50 thousand anti-tank missiles from American stocks. This includes over 8,5 thousand Javelin weapons which helped the AFU at the beginning of the conflict. About 1,600 anti-aircraft missiles Stinger and about three thousand Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost drones were also delivered.

“Western ammunition stocks are being depleted extremely quickly. From now on, countries must draw from their critical reserves if they want to keep supporting Ukraine,” ­ warned Kusti Salm, permanent secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, in a press interview.

The real needs of Ukraine exceed the capabilities of American and European manufacturers. The military industry is not able to fill the voids in its own arsenals, especially to fulfill previously signed contracts for the supply of weapons to other states.

As a result: Western reserves are being depleted, and there is not enough equipment.

“Some US stockpiles are reaching the minimum levels usually required for war planning and training,” said Mark Cancian, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

According to the expert, the United States has delivered a third of its Javelin and Stinger missile stocks to Kyiv. And their reserves of GMLRS missiles, which are equipped with HIMARS so useful to Ukrainians, have reached a critical minimum.

“To support Ukraine, the United States has depleted its own stocks of major weapons.”

But who is the main beneficiary of the Ukraine crisis?

In connection with this situation, the Pentagon has been increasing orders to replenish its arsenals since the summer of this year. On November 14, the US military again signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to receive GMLRS missiles for HIMARS systems. 

The report of this company shows that net profit for the third quarter, compared to the same period in 2021, almost tripled, to $ 1.8 billion. And all this amid European problems in the industrial sphere. The profit per share has also increased by 60%: now, according to experts, it is $ 6.71.

Of course, the largest arms manufacturers conclude multibillion-dollar deals, and these are American companies. Currently, large-scale rearmament has begun in Western countries. The increase in the production of the US military-industrial complex confirms this.

The Arms Trade is Big Business.

Such a scale led former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami to the idea that there is only one winner in the current armed conflict in Ukraine — the American defense industry. 

In his article in Project Syndicate titled “Who is winning the war in Ukraine?” Shlomo Ben-Ami writes without any political correctness, which has recently become the norm on media platforms:

«For decades, US defense contractors have reaped the benefits of protracted wars and long-term military alliances. With NATO on the verge of further enlargement and European countries looking to bolster their defense budgets, the war in Ukraine looks like another boon for the American arms industry»

Thus, the current situation around the supply of foreign weapons to Ukraine looks quite simple. All processes are aimed not only at helping Kyiv, but also at rearming its own arsenals. This is accompanied by the embezzlement of the military budgets of the alliance countries by US arms manufacturers.