Is the Russian army running out of equipment and ammo? The latest intelligence reports photograph a not-so-rosy situation for troops in Moscow. According to a document published by the British Ministry of Defense, the mobilized Russian reservists would be ordered to attack Ukrainian positions “armed only with rifles and shovels”. Specifically, these would be Mpl-50 knives, a model dated 1869 and not much different from those currently used in the Soviet era. Therefore, at the front, there will be an increase in “melee combat” due to the shortage of ammunition at the disposal of the Moscow forces.
Not just. In addition to “hand-to-hand combat even with shovels”, another point highlighted in the report is that Russia may have a problem with armored vehicles. “There is a realistic possibility that units of the 1st Guards Tank Division (1 Gta), probably the main Russian tank force, will also be re-equipped with T-62s to compensate for previous losses,” the document says. Ministry of Defense. T-62s are fairly old tanks developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In short, Russia may soon deploy very old tanks.
“1 GTA – the note continues – should have received the new generation T-14 Armata Mbt from 21. In recent days, the Russian Btr-50 armored personnel carriers were also first identified for the first time in 1954”.
“Since last summer – in progress – about 800 T-62s have been taken from depots, and some of them are equipped with updated aiming systems that will likely increase their nighttime vulnerabilities existing on the battlefield, including the lack of modern explosive reactive armor”.
Battle of Bahmut
All this while the war raged in Bakhmut. The city in eastern Ukraine (70,000 people surveyed prior to the conflict) has been the scene of months of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, and the former is progressing slowly but is facing massive casualties (at least according to reports from Kiev). But according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the outcome of this battle for control of the city will be “symbolic rather than operational and strategic.” Austin told reporters that the fall of Bakhmut, surrounded by the Moscow army, “does not mean that the Russians have changed the course of this conflict.” The defense minister was unable to say “when Bakhmut might fall”. Austin added that he would not see the repositioning of Ukrainian forces to the west of the city as a strategic setback.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
