Russia prioritizing defensive posture along front line with Ukraine, UK intelligence reports
Russia short of troops, mobilized badly trained, equipped, incapable of offensive moves (Photo:General Staff)
Russia is taking defensive posture across almost all the front line due to understaffing and undertraining of its troops, according to the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine posted on Twitter on Oct. 28.
Because of an extremely low level of manning, Russia has likely augmented its units in Kherson Oblast with mobilised reservists, the message reads.
UK intelligence noted a Russian unit that was supposed to have 100 people had only from six to eight people in Kherson Oblast in September.
"In the last six weeks there has been a clear move from Russian ground forces to transition to a long-term, defensive posture on most areas of the front line in Ukraine. This is likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations," the report reads.
According to the UK's intelligence report, even if Russia's defensive plan succeeds, its operational design will remain weak. "To regain the initiative, it will need to regenerate higher quality, mobile forces which are capable of dynamically countering Ukrainian breakthroughs and conducting their own large-scale offensive operations," the intelligence added.
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