Russia has committed about 65 percent of its entire ground combat strength to the invasion of Ukraine, but a vigorous defense and a growing cache of firepower mostly provided by NATO members have blunted the advance, according to an analysis released Monday by the British Ministry of Defense.
At the start of the conflict in February, Moscow committed more than 120 battalion tactical groups to the fight. More than a quarter of the units have been rendered “combat ineffective” since the first Russian tanks rolled across the border, the analysis said. The staggering losses may suggest a rationale for Moscow’s decision to dial back its initial goal of totally subjecting the country in favor of consolidating its remaining troops in the disputed Donbas region.
Some of Russia’s most elite military units, such as the VDV Airborne Forces, have suffered the highest levels of attrition in the fighting, the analysis said.
“It will probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces,” British defense intelligence officials said in a Twitter post.
Pentagon officials believe the Kremlin has yet to address the foundational problems with the invasion of Ukraine, including poor leadership at the highest levels, mismanaged logistics and even basic combat tactics.
“Those problems did not just exist inside Ukraine, they existed outside Ukraine and still do exist,” a senior Pentagon official said Friday.