UK claims more than quarter of Russia's combat battalions rendered 'combat ineffective'

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, a British intelligence estimate released on May 2 stated that Russia's elite soldiers have lost so many casualties that replenishing them will take years. Since the beginning of the war, more than a quarter of Russia's invading army has been deemed "combat ineffective," according to the report.

The UK Ministry of Defence's said, "At the start of the conflict, Russia committed over 120 battalion tactical groups, approximately 65 per cent of its entire ground combat strength. It is likely that more than a quarter of these units have now been rendered combat ineffective."

The ministry further added that the VDV Airborne Forces, among Russia's most elite troops, have experienced the highest levels of attrition and the country will most likely take years to rebuild these forces. Further, Ukraine has claimed in its most recent operational update that Russia has suffered "significant losses" on artillery and land.

According to the Ukrainian armed forces, "During the previous day, air defence units hit ten Orlan-10 UAVs. Russian enemy suffers significant losses, especially in artillery and on land. In the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts only, ten attacks by russian occupiers were repulsed in the past 24 hours, two tanks, seventeen artillery systems, thirty-eight units of armored combat vehicles and 10 units of enemy vehicles were destroyed."

Russia-Ukraine War

As the all-out Russian assault in Ukraine approached day 68, with western nations rushing military supplies to Kyiv, US defence strategists anticipated that the increased artillery may alter the war's path, fearing massive casualties on both sides. According to the Washington Post, US officials have warned that the "bloody battle" may be brought to a halt if both parties consider the consequences of using long-range missiles. If launched, the attacks will be "decisive" in the next phase of the battle, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who spoke with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand on Thursday.

Moreover, according to CNN, more than 100 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal metallurgical complex in Mariupol on Sunday with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations. Shortly after the evacuations, the steel plant caught fire, putting a stop to the rescue efforts.

(With agency inputs)

Image: AP