KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defense chief is urging a state company to double its missile output as a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive looms. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the state-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation was fulfilling its contracts in a timely manner. But he says “right now it is necessary to double the production of high-precision weapons in the shortest possible time.” The U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest war assessment that “Russia does not have enough munitions to achieve success on the offensive.” However, Ukraine also is reportedly experiencing an ammunition crunch. Also Tuesday, a Kremlin spokesman dismissed Washington’s estimate of more than 20,000 Russian troops killed since December.
