Vladimir Putin's army has suffered “devastating losses” among its mid and junior-ranking officers in his war in Ukraine, British defense chiefs said on Monday, Guargian reports.
They added that the scale of the fatalities was likely to harm the Russian military’s control and command over Mr. Putin’s invasion which is now into its fourth month.
The UK defense chiefs believe that a lack of “experienced and credible platoon and company commanders” is likely to hit the morale and discipline of the Russian president’s forces.
His battalion tactical groups are also likely to be less effective, they added, as they have been rebuilt from multiple units after earlier defeats and so may lack leadership.
The UK and other nations in the West are involved in a critical information war against Russia and so are highlighting the weaknesses and failures of Mr. Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine - more often than its successes, although these have been limited given the huge numbers of troops and equipment which he has deployed.
In its latest intelligence briefing, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “Russia has likely suffered devastating losses amongst its mid and junior ranking officers in the conflict. “Brigade and battalion commanders likely deploy forwards into harm’s way because they are held to an uncompromising level of responsibility for their units’ performance.
“Similarly, junior officers have had to lead the lowest level tactical actions, as the army lacks the cadre of highly trained and empowered non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who fulfill that role in Western forces.”
It added: “The loss of a large proportion of the younger generation of professional officers will likely exacerbate its ongoing problems in modernizing its approach to command and control.
“More immediately, battalion tactical groups (BTGs) which are being reconstituted in Ukraine from survivors of multiple units are likely to be less effective due to a lack of junior leaders.
“With multiple credible reports of localized mutinies amongst Russia’s forces in Ukraine, a lack of experienced and credible platoon and company commanders is likely to result in a further decrease in morale and continued poor discipline.”
