Russian Army Unlikely to be an Effective Fighting Force Thanks to Ukraine War – The Russian military in Ukraine is increasingly unlikely to be able to mount successful operations as a combined ground force (CGF). It is spread out along too great be an effective fighting force, while it is now made up of mostly “poorly trained” reservists that are reliant on “antiquated equipment.”
In addition, many units are below optimal strength, and as a result, the Kremlin is only able to carry out infantry-based operations.
The Russian Military: RIP in Ukraine?
The harsh assessment of the state of the Russian military in Ukraine came from the latest British Ministry of Defence (MoD) intelligence update, which was released on Sunday.
“On paper, the Russian Combined Grouping of Forces (CGF) in Ukraine is similarly organised to the invasion force of 446 days ago,” the MoD stated in a series of Tweets. Russia’s fighting force still consists of more than 200,000 personnel organized into around 70 combat regiments and brigades divided into five Groups of Forces – yet now struggles with “limited freedom to conduct air operations.”
A Difference a Year Makes
The most notable difference in Russia’s fighting force is in the caliber of its troops.
Whereas the Russian military that engaged in the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 consisted of professional soldiers largely equipped with modern vehicles – and was thus able to take part in complex “joint operations” – the force is “is mostly poorly trained mobilized reservists and increasingly reliant on antiquated equipment, with many of its units severely under-strength. It routinely only conducts very simple, infantry-based operations.”
The UK MoD’s evaluation of the state of the Russian Army mirrors what General Christopher G. Cavoli, commander of U.S. forces in Europe said at Sunday’s Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn, Estonia.
However, Cavoli said it would be premature to suggest that the Russian military is a spent force.
“The Russian military’s demise in Ukraine is something that has to be studied very closely,” the general said, per Newsweek. “It has not been even. It’s very easy to look and to think that the Russian military has collapsed, or is in dire trouble. But in fact, it’s been uneven.”
Russia’s ground forces have been significantly eroded, General Cavoli added, and further suggested that the Kremlin has run into several problems.
“They’ve lost a lot of people, they’ve lost a lot of equipment. On the other hand, they’ve also ingested a lot of people. And you know, the Russian army, the ground force, today is bigger than it was at the beginning of this conflict. So, it still exists,” Cavoli further warned.
Russian Losses Continue to Mount in Ukraine
The comments about the state of the Russian military came just a day after the Institute for the Study of War reported that Ukrainian forces liberated 16.85 square kilometers around the city of Bakhmut in the Donbas region.
It further noted that according to claims from Russian military bloggers, there had been limited successful Ukrainian counterattacks north of Khromove (immediately west of Bakhmut) degraded Russian forces’ ability to interdict near a significant ground line of communication (GLOC) for Ukrainian troops operating near the city.
Two Russian military commanders were killed in the recent fighting. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that Commander Vyacheslav Makarov of the 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade was wounded and died while being evacuated off the battlefield. In addition, Col. Yevgeny Brovko, deputy commander of the Army Corps for Military-Political Work died “heroically, suffering multiple shrapnel wounds,” Russian state media reported.
News of the deaths of the two officers follows reports on Saturday that the Russian Air Force also saw the loss of four aircraft, including an Su-34 fighter/bomber and an Su-35 air superiority fighter, as well as two Mi-8 transport helicopters.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
