Following invasion of Ukraine by Russia, there is an unprecedented rise in purchase of arms and ammunition among several European countries
According to data examined by EL PAS from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) database, European arm imports rose by 92% in 2022. This is the largest year-over-year increase seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which is remembered as a turning point for the Soviet Union. At the time, the communist bloc was teetering on the brink of collapse. Years later, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and Europe basked in the military stability of the region.
However, heavy fighting returned to Europe in late February last year when Russia invaded Ukraine. There has been no looking back for Europe since the war has grown increasingly intense.
Analyst Siemon Wezeman told AFP that Russia is the only explanation for the sharp rise in trade between European nations. The analyst warned that arms imports would increase significantly in the upcoming years. The SIPRI calculation does not consider the hundreds of thousands of artillery shells that have also been shipped to Ukraine. They are crucial to the fierce battles in the eastern Donbas region because their unit price is too low.
Russian arms shipments, in contrast, have fallen to their lowest level this century due to Western sanctions and setbacks in the war in Ukraine. This was also reflected in Putin’s speech to his country’s defense-military complex, where he urged the industry to churn out weapons to fulfill demands.