British Defense Officials Say Russia Struggling with “Troubled” Troops in Ukraine – Britain’s Ministry of Defence indicated over the weekend that troops on both sides of the Ukraine conflict are likely experiencing “variable morale,” but that Russian troops, in particular, appear to be “especially troubled.”
In an intelligence update shared online, the British MoD revealed how entire Russian units are refusing orders as the conflict becomes more brutal and bloody.
“Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale,” the update reads. “Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, however, Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled. Cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.”
The British defense officials described how Ukrainian and Russian troops have conducted heavy artillery bombards on axes to the north, east, and south of the city of Severodonetsk – and that despite the increasingly severe combat, very little has changed in the front line.
Russia Makes Fresh Advances in Ukraine
Over the weekend, Moscow claimed that Russian forces had taken control of a village close to Severodonetsk – a city in eastern Ukraine that has witnessed some of the worst conflict since the beginning of the war.
On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that it had taken control of Metyolkine, a village with a pre-war population of just 800. According to the Russian TASS state news agency, Ukrainian fighters in the village surrendered to the Russians in recent days – granting Russia yet another victory in the region and pushing them one step closer to achieving the Kremlin’s goal of “liberating” the separatist regions in the east.
Boris Johnson Says UK Won’t Give In To “Ukraine Fatigue”
After arriving back in the United Kingdom following his most recent trip to Kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaffirmed his government’s commitment to Ukraine. Johnson suggested that the British government would continue supplying military equipment and financial support to Ukraine long into the future.
“When Ukraine fatigue is setting in, it is very important to show that we are with them for the long haul and we are giving them the strategic resilience that they need,” Johnson told reporters as he arrived at RAF Brize Norton in England.
“The Russians are grinding forward inch by inch and it is vital for us to show what we know to be true, which is that Ukraine can win and will win.”
The comments followed an unannounced trip to Ukraine – the third such trip since the beginning of the invasion on February 24.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
