Ukraine ramps up artillery production amid fears of falling U.S. support

Washington Post

19-04-2025

Hundreds of miles from the front lines, deep in the forested wilderness of Ukraine, the massive green howitzer swung around its long barrel and fired, the boom echoing through snowy mountains and sleepy villages as a distant ridgeline erupted in a thunderhead of black smoke.
Success — a sign that the Ukrainian-made, self-propelled howitzer was properly built. A few more tests would confirm it, then the artillery piece would return to the factory for final tweaks and fresh paint. Soon, it would ship out to the front, a key feature of Ukraine's scramble to bulk up its weapons systems ahead of any potential aid cuts from Washington.
Production of the Bohdana — Ukrainian for 'God-given'— has surged in the course of the war against Russia, soaring from just six per month in 2023 to more than 20 in 2025 as part of a partnership with Ukraine's European allies that may well represent the future of the country's arms industry.
On April 8, Europe announced a fresh disbursement of 1 billion euros — from the windfall profits of frozen Russian assets — for building more howitzers. It is the largest sum earmarked specifically for Ukrainian artillery production thus far — part of more than 20 billion euros to be disbursed by Europe for the country's defense sector over the next year in place of just sending weapons.
'First, it's cheaper,' said Katarina Mathernova, the E.U. ambassador to Ukraine. 'Second, it's faster. Third, you cut away transport and logistics expenses and time. Fourth, it helps the economy grow.'
As Biden-era stocks dwindle, doubts have festered about whether Europe can fully compensate for a possible halt to American aid, particularly for key capabilities such as air defenses. A European official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations, said more countries were eyeing the model of pouring money into Ukraine's defense industry instead of dispatching weapons, offering a faster route as Europe's own supplies run dry after years of funneling weapons to Kyiv.
The strategy also allows NATO countries to use Ukraine as a testing ground for developing weapons, such as drones, in which they don't have as much experience, the official said. The 155mm Bohdana, with its impressive 25-mile range, is the first Ukrainian-made NATO-caliber howitzer and could help guarantee the country's security.
'It's a win-win,' the European official added. 'It's cheaper for us. They need to produce. And the Ukrainians are teaching us a lot.'
While the battles of drones have increasingly characterized the front lines of the war, artillery remains a key part of the conflict. During the early years of the war when Russia massively outgunned Ukraine, the United States other countries rushed howitzers to the front line to stave off the Russian advance.
Ukraine's soldiers are now adept at operating the artillery, which it can produce itself without relying on other countries. Compared with drones, the howitzers can more effectively suppress trench operations, stop assaults and kill opponents.
The Washington Post was allowed a rare visit to see the testing of the Bohdanas, both towed and self-propelled — an operation so sensitive that The Post agreed not to disclose the exact location of the training facility in western Ukraine.
Miles down a dirt road, the brisk mountain air cracked with the pop-pop-pop of distant gunfire as a half-dozen soldiers in balaclavas slotted the next round of ammunition into the Bohdana. Nearby, artillery shells and beige tubes of propellant charge were mounded atop a tarp, some stamped with 'US ARMY PICATINNY ARSENAL' — the name of the New Jersey facility, just west of New York City, that manufactures much of America's weaponry and ammunition.
The soldiers stepped back and yelled 'CANNON!'
Noise-canceling headphones clamped over their ears, they opened their mouths in anticipation of the blast. In a flash of orange, the Bohdana fired again, pummeling the mountainside, now scraped bare of trees and scarred by past hits. The barrel smoked, the scent of gunpowder lingering. The testing of the first Bohdana complete, a second was maneuvered into position.
Arsen Zhumadilov — the director of the Defense Ministry's defense procurement agency — watched, noting that Ukraine had made 'huge strides' in manufacturing NATO-caliber weaponry since Russia invaded in 2022, thanks to joint efforts between the government and private arms manufacturers.
While it hasn't been enough for Ukraine to win the war, the increase in artillery production has helped the country become more self-sufficient. More than 85 percent of the parts needed for the Bohdana are manufactured in Ukraine — a figure that's expected to increase to 95 percent by the end of the year, he said.
'Now self-propelled howitzers are being produced in Ukraine in quantities that are unparalleled in Europe,' Zhumadilov said. This is important, he said, because 'there is a direct and close link between our ability to fight and Europe's security. If Ukraine falls, Europe will not be able to stand against the Russians as well as us.'
The European Union's executive branch, the European Commission, has been trying to unlock hundreds of billions of euros to build up the continent's defenses in the coming years, through loans and loosening budget rules. Part of the plan is a 150 billion euro loan program to fast-track the bloc's joint weapons procurement and development, which is largely geared toward systems made in the E.U., Norway or Ukraine.
'We are strengthening Ukraine in many different ways. One way is to support them in building up their own capabilities,' German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a news conference at NATO headquarters April 11. 'The support we provide to Ukraine is not a one-way road, it is a win-win situation. The insights we gain will benefit both us and Ukraine. We will learn from it too.'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the new fiscal space could also allow E.U. countries to invest in or team up with arms makers in Ukraine to better integrate its defense production with the European industry.
Some countries, meanwhile, have sought more first-hand experience, sending unarmed soldiers to training camps in western Ukraine to learn about combat — a sign of the deepening unease on the continent over the future. In a television interview this week, the Danish army commander said he planned to send more soldiers here this summer to learn from Ukraine.
'Ukraine is ahead of everyone else and using Western systems more efficiently than Western countries are able to use them,' said Nico Lange, a former German defense official who is now a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. 'A strategic integration of the Ukrainian defense sector with the European defense sector would also help security in Europe in general.'
At the training facility, a final blast from the Bohdana shook the ice off the roof of a nearby building. A cloud of dust and earth again billowed off the mountain.
'If you want to live in peace, you have to be ready for war,' said Vitalii Zagudaiev, chief executive of KZTS, the Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant, which builds Bohdanas.
The tests finished for the second howitzer, a soldier — who specialized in the artillery's computer programming — walked up the hillside, a plastic grocery bag slung over one arm. As was tradition, she reached inside, handing out two jelly candies to each onlooker — a bit of sweetness for each success.
Ellen Francis and Serhii Korolchuk contributed to this report.