Britain’s Ministry of Defence revealed in a Ukraine intelligence update on Thursday that Russian soldiers are growing tired of the Kremlin’s inability to provide advanced weaponry and military vehicles, going as far as labeling the aging self-propelled howitzers used on the battlefield “aluminum cans.”
In the latest update, which was shared on Twitter, the Ministry of Defence described how Russian troops are “likely frustrated” with being “forced to serve in old infantry combat vehicles which they describe as aluminum cans.”
The update added that in mid-October, Russia lost more than 40 armored vehicles per day, which is roughly equivalent to an entire battalion’s worth of equipment. The losses came as a result of Ukrainian offensives which forced Russian President Vladimir Putin to mobilize hundreds of thousands of largely untrained reservists.
According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia’s daily losses are proving a huge problem for the Kremlin. As of October 31, the Ukrainian Armed Forces estimates that Russia has lost roughly 71,820 personnel in the conflict along with 2,686 tanks. A total of 5.485 armored combat vehicles are believed to have been destroyed along with 1,728 artillery systems, 275 aircraft, 253 helicopters, and 1,413 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The latest figures also appear to show that Russia lost 620 soldiers, 14 tanks, a helicopter and a warplane all in one day.
Belarus to the Rescue in Ukraine?
According to the same update, Russia is probably now relying on the support of Belarus to provide additional tanks and other infantry fighting vehicles to soldiers attempting to strengthen Russia’s lines of defense and prevent additional Ukrainian gains.
“In recent weeks Russia has likely resorted to acquiring at least 100 additional tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Belarussian stocks,” the update continues. “Armoured units and artillery are central to Russia’s war of war; the force in Ukraine is now struggling due to difficulties in sourcing both artillery ammunition and sufficient serviceable replacement armoured vehicles.”
Tanks from Ukraine’s Army in combat. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russia is also reportedly receiving ammunition from North Korea, according to U.S. intelligence declassified this week. If that assessment is correct, however, then it means North Korea has been sending ammunition to Russian forces for quite some time and hiding the shipments to make them appear as though they are headed to the Middle East and elsewhere. If that is the case, Russia is struggling to resupply its troops with ammunition even when depending on its last remaining allies for help.
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.
