Burning through ammo, Russia using 40-year-old rounds, U.S. official says - Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Russia is turning to decades-old ammunition with precocious nonaccomplishment rates arsenic it burns done its stockpiles to transportation retired its astir 10-month-old penetration of Ukraine, a elder U.S. subject authoritative said connected Monday.

"They person drawn from (Russia's) aging ammunition stockpile, which does bespeak that they are consenting to usage that older ammunition, immoderate of which was primitively produced much than 40 years ago," the authoritative said, speaking connected information of anonymity.

The United States accuses Russia of turning to Iran and North Korea for much firepower arsenic it exhausts its regular supplies of ammunition.

The elder U.S. subject authoritative assessed that Russia would pain done its fully-serviceable stocks of ammunition by aboriginal 2023 if it did not edifice to overseas suppliers and older stocks.

"We measure that astatine the complaint of occurrence that Russia has been utilizing its artillery and rocket ammunition successful presumption of what we would telephone afloat serviceable artillery and rocket ammunition. They could astir apt bash that until aboriginal 2023," the authoritative said.

Using the older stocks carried risks, the authoritative said.

"In different words, you load the ammunition and you transverse your fingers and anticipation it's going to occurrence oregon erstwhile it lands that it's going to explode," the authoritative said.

Iran has transferred drones to Russia for usage successful Ukraine, U.S. and Ukrainian officials say. Moscow is besides attempting to get hundreds of ballistic missiles from Iran and offering Tehran an unprecedented level of subject and method enactment successful return, Britain's envoy the United Nations said connected Friday.

Barbara Woodward besides said Britain was "almost definite that Russia is seeking to root weaponry from North Korea (and) different heavy sanctioned states, arsenic their ain stocks palpably dwindle."

Iran past period acknowledged it had supplied Moscow with drones, but said they were sent earlier the warfare successful Ukraine. Russia has denied its forces utilized Iranian drones to onslaught Ukraine and has denied North Korea was supplying it weapons.

Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio

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