Russian military units will be weakened for years because of the sustained damage taken during the invasion of Ukraine.
According to British intelligence, Russia’s most elite military forces have been rendered ‘combat ineffective’ as a result of the war in Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defence gave an intelligence update on Monday (May 2), claiming that Russian forces had been seriously depleted by their war efforts.
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In the update, they said: “At the start of the conflict, Russia committed over 120 battalion tactical groups, approximately 65 per cent of its entire ground combat strength.
“It is likely that more than a quarter of these units have now been rendered combat ineffective.
“Some of Russia’s most elite units, including the VDV Airborne Forces, have suffered the highest attrition levels. It will probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces.”
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The latest update backs up various claims that Russia is struggling to maintain momentum in their invasion of Ukraine.
While Russia was initially expected to easily take Ukraine, Putin’s men have found themselves in a tough fight, with Ukrainian forces continuing to push back against Russian troops.
On Tuesday (May 3), the Defence of Ukraine claimed Russia had taken significant combat losses in their attempt to invade the country.
They claimed Russia had suffered a loss of 24,200 personnel, 1,062 tanks, 1,843 vehicles, 84 cruise missiles, 2,567 armoured personnel vehicles, and 194 aircraft.
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It is more personnel than the Russian army had lost in the entirety of the Soviet War in Afghanistan, which lasted from 1979 to 1989, according to the Atlantic.
The huge loss of life has been called a massive 'failure of the Russian Ministry of Defence command and control at all levels' by the UK's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
Ukraine’s military has also revealed they are switching over to modern weapons to help defend themselves against the Russian invasion.
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The commander of the Ukrainian military, General Valeriy Zaluzhny, confirmed the move over the weekend, according to UPI.
The new-look weapons will now mean Ukrainian forces will be able to fight with devices that are up to 'NATO standards'.
Despite the Russian losses, American Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, believes the threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons is rising.
During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, he said: “Well, one of my concerns is that, ironically, the more success that the Ukrainians have, the greater the risk that Putin will do something because he's losing and has to save face at home.”
Jayden Collins