Ladimir Putin’s forces are being “increasingly eroded” by the scale of his attack in Ukraine, which has had only limited success, British defense chiefs said on Tuesday.
They stressed that he was launching “large numbers” of missiles that were commonly used to target areas of “strategic importance”, but rather used to gain “tactical advantage”.
They argued that the combat efficiency of its military units was deteriorating to such an extent that it was “probably unsustainable in the long run”.
Mr Putin’s troops took control of the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk over the weekend.
They are now trying to capture its twin city, Lysychansk, across from the Siverskyi Donets River in Severodonetsk in the eastern Luhansk province of the Donbas region.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defense in London said: “Ukrainian forces continue to consolidate their positions on higher ground in the city of Lysychansk, after retreating from Severodonetsk. Ukrainian forces continue to disrupt Russian command and control with successful attacks deep behind Russian lines. “
It added: “On June 24-26, Russia launched extremely intense waves of attacks on Ukraine using long-range missiles. These weapons most likely fired Soviet-era AS-4 KITCHEN and more modern AS-23a KODIAK missiles. from both Belarusian and Russian airspace.
A destroyed Russian tank starts rusting in bushveld near Kiev
/ Getty Images“These weapons are designed to take on targets of strategic importance, but Russia continues to issue them in large numbers for tactical advantage.”
The British defense chiefs also emphasized: “Similarly, it set up the core elements of six different armies, but only achieved tactical success at Sieverodonetsk. The Russian armed forces are increasingly being hollowed out.
“They are currently accepting a level of weakened combat efficiency, which is likely to be unsustainable in the long run.”
Britain, America and other allies are fighting an information war against the Kremlin, so its intelligence reports need to be handled with caution, often emphasizing Russian failures or shortcomings rather than Ukrainian losses.
However, the Russian propaganda machine is often completely at odds with the truth, including the suggestion that a missile attack hitting a crowded supermarket in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine was an act of provocation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces.