Ukrainian 155 mm M107 artillery shells cost about €2,500, the L15 around €3,000, and long‑range munitions nearly €5,000. Ukrainian Armor CEO Vladyslav Belbas said this in an interview.
These prices are significantly lower than those of European equivalents. Norwegian and French shells cost up to €8,000 per unit — almost twice as much as Ukrainian long‑range ammunition and three times more than basic shells.
However, Belbas criticized the state’s approach to ammunition types.
“The state is now somewhat irrationally saying that we don’t need basic ammunition and only need long‑range rounds. I find it hard to imagine — it’s like firing only sniper rounds from a machine gun,” he explained.
The CEO acknowledged that drones are being used more actively, which forces artillery to be moved to safer positions and increases the need for long‑range munitions. However, abandoning basic ammunition is a mistake.
“The problem is this: take Pokrovsk as an example. If you rely only on drones and fog sets in, the enemy enters the city and you have nothing to suppress infantry at a reasonable distance. That’s why I believe it’s wrong to say that basic ammunition is unnecessary,” Belbas emphasized.
Basic ammunition, he stressed, must remain truly basic — available in large quantities. Its main advantage lies not in range, but in its destructive power.
