ISW explained why

13.05.2025

For the first time, units of the elite presidential regiment of the Russian FSB have been spotted on the front in Ukraine. The Russian command has redeployed them near Chasov Yar in the Donetsk region, where Russia has been fighting unsuccessfully for at least a year.

The servicemen, who report personally to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and have mostly been deployed as honor guards at state events, lack training and combat experience, although their deployment to the front lines may be motivated by the Kremlin’s desire to arouse fears of Russia’s “rapid advance” in the Chasovoyarsk direction. The situation and the real reasons for the deployment of the FSB ceremonial regiment to combat operations are discussed in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

On May 12, a representative of one of the Ukrainian brigades holding the line in this direction reported that the Russian command had deployed units of the elite Presidential Regiment of the Russian FSB near Chasovy Yar. Occupiers from the predominantly ceremonial regiment were sent to reinforce the Russian forces that are trying to capture the city.

It is known that this regiment reports directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin and bears primary responsibility for performing honor guard duties at state events and protecting Russian officials, the Kremlin and the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall.

Previously, units of the aforementioned regiment had not been observed at the front in Ukraine.

According to Russian media, the unit, the size of a motorized rifle brigade, is made up of conscripts and contract soldiers. And Putin and other Russian officials have repeatedly promised the Russian population that conscripts, whose military service is mandatory under Russian law, will not be called into combat in Ukraine after conscripts were used in combat operations during the first months of the war.

Analysts, based on publications in Russian media, have concluded that the units of the presidential regiment probably lack the training and combat experience needed to successfully reinforce Russian operations near Chasovy Yar and the long-term Russian effort to seize the Ukrainian belt of fortresses in the Donetsk region. However, they believe that the purpose of the deployment of units of this regiment could be somewhat different.

“The Russian military command’s decision to deploy the presidential regiment to combat operations in Ukraine is likely part of a larger Russian effort to intimidate Ukraine and the West by ramping up combat activity and portraying Russian troops as elite and fully capable of making significant gains in Ukraine in the near future. The Russian military command may also be trying to shift any available manpower to the Chasov Yar area due to apparent efforts in recent months to prioritize offensive operations against Konstantinovka,” the article notes.

The analysts added that Russian forces currently prioritize rapidly replenishing frontline units with new recruits to maintain the initiative on the Ukrainian battlefield, rather than creating a pool of well-trained operational reserves. And this approach, they argue, hinders the ability of Russian forces to conduct complex operations and penetrate Ukrainian defenses.

“ISW continues to assess that Russian forces lack the ability to make significant progress on the battlefield in the near term and that Russian officials are using Russia’s continued battlefield initiative to strengthen their negotiating position,” the analysts concluded.

Recall that earlier, ISW assessed whether Putin would fly to Istanbul for talks. There has been no official response from the Kremlin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to hold a meeting with the Russian dictator in Istanbul on May 15. However, low-level Russian officials are signaling that Putin will probably not fly to Turkey.

https://war.obozrevatel.com/podchinyaetsya-putinu-v-isw-obyasnili-pochemu-rossiya-brosila-v-boi-za-chasov-yar-polk-fsb.htm