“It will probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces,” wrote the ministry.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claimed on Monday that Russia has suffered a loss of 23,800 troops. Ukraine also listed 1,048 tanks, 2,519 armored personnel carriers, 459 artillery systems, 194 aircraft and 84 cruise missiles among Russia’s losses. In late March, NATO estimated Russia had lost between 7,000 and 15,000 troops.
Ukraine has said that up to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war, CNN reported. However, this figure has not been independently verified.
On Monday, Ukraine’s Chief of General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhniy claimed that a Ukrainian drone destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol ships near Snake Island in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also said on Monday that Russia is “intensifying” a campaign to recruit new military volunteers to replace the number of troops it has lost since the invasion began. However, it noted that recruitment was not taking place in Moscow, Russia’s largest city.
“Campaigning events are held to motivate ‘volunteers’ to serve. In particular, traditional Russian narratives about the ‘collective West’ and ‘non-existent Ukraine’ are repeated. Increased material security and benefits are also promised,” an English translation of the message read.
There have also been recent signs of a lack of morale among both soldiers and the Russian population.
A poll released last Thursday showed that amid the significant losses, there has been a drop in support for the conflict. The poll found that 74 percent of respondents said they supported the actions of the Russian military—down from 81 percent in a poll in March.
However, as Russian losses continue mounting, the threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons continues to rise, Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during an appearance on Fox Newsover the weekend.
“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,” Menendez said.
Newsweek reached out to Russia’s foreign ministry for comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/weakened-russian-military-units-british-ministry-defence-tweet-1702728
It’s not only mafia land’s elite units that are weakened, but its entire armed forces. It will take ten years or longer to regain what they had before the war and only if they curb corruption, which they won’t.
Because of demographics, the Russians will never be able to rebuild their military. They are squandering their military future now.
But 74% of the Russian scum bags still favor this war.
Let them. It’s the source of their newly-found misery.
Exactly. If they enjoy being lied to and live with that every day then they share responsibility for the actions of their leaders. They bought the propaganda and look like fools but still support their leaders. Then the RTrolls go out there and say sanctions just hurt the common people, well they asked for it so screw them.
I see putin’s troops assuming his favorite position in the picture above, lol…