Russian armed forces are “increasingly hollowed out” after months of intense combat since late February when President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, British military officials said Tuesday.
“They currently accept a level of degraded combat effectiveness which is probably unsustainable in the long term,” the UK’s Defense Intelligence tweeted.
Moscow has recently fielded the core elements of six different armies in its latest campaign but has achieved only “tactical success” at Sieverodonetsk in the disputed Donbas region. To make up for a large number of casualties, Russian officials have been forced to call up reservists and reportedly return retired army officers to active duty.