Russian biathletes are facing a shortage of high-quality foreign ammunition, which is negatively affecting their performance. The problem was confirmed by 2017 world champion Anton Babikov, who, after the mass start at the International League of Club Biathlon Cup, where he finished only 23rd with eight misses, attributed his failures to the low quality of ammunition. Babikov noted that if the situation does not change, he may end his career.
The ammunition shortage was also confirmed by two-time Olympic medalist Alexander Loginov, who said that if athletes used to be able to shoot 15–20 batches of ammunition before the season, now they can only find 3–4 batches. The main reason for this is the imposed international sanctions regime. Prior to this, Russian biathletes used ammunition from the Finnish factory Lapua, which, after relocating to Germany, stopped supplying Russia after the introduction of sanctions.
Russian national team coach Maxim Maximov noted back in 2023 that domestic cartridges are significantly inferior to foreign ones in quality. Athletes tried to circumvent sanctions and purchase imported ammunition, but faced logistical problems. Currently, the ability to purchase high-quality ammunition is practically non-existent, which exacerbates the situation for Russian biathletes.
Read more on the topic:
Russia is switching to domestic IGLA hunting cartridges
12/76 caliber IGLA anti-drone cartridges developed in Russia: no pity for the bird
Battle test: Russian military personnel tested IGLA cartridges against drones
