Photo: Russian paratroopers suffer heavy losses in Ukraine (Getty Images) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Russian airborne troops are suffering heavy losses on several sectors of the front in Ukraine.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the ISW report.
According to a number of sources, units of the Russian Airborne Forces are suffering heavy losses and are unable to rest and recover. It is noted that experienced and trained contract servicemen of the Airborne Forces make up a smaller proportion of personnel due to high losses.
The British Ministry of Defense estimated that units of the 104th Airborne Division of the Russian Army probably suffered exceptionally heavy losses at Krynki due to insufficient air and artillery support, as well as inexperienced personnel.
The high level of casualties, especially among units such as the Airborne Forces, which were considered elite until 2022, is largely a reflection of the fact that Russian military commanders have chosen to conduct simultaneous offensive operations across the entire front line, often prioritizing minor gains at the expense of disproportionate losses.
A declassified US intelligence assessment reportedly provided to Congress on December 12 said Russian forces have lost 315,000 personnel since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Since October 10, Russian troops have carried out several waves of massive mechanized and infantry offensives to capture Avdeevka in the Donetsk region, despite heavy losses of personnel, and also abandoned untrained airborne units to defend against Ukrainian troops in the Kherson region.
Use of Russian paratroopers at the front
Back in September, as British intelligence reported, the Russian Federation strengthened the 58th Combined Arms Army with additional airborne airborne units in the Orekhovsky direction in the Zaporozhye region. At the same time, paratroopers were used as line infantry to replenish depleted ground forces.
In particular, the appointment of a new commander of the invaders in the Kherson direction, Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, in October of this year, could indicate increased pressure on the invaders in the south from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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