Russia has used insufficiently equipped units in the war against Ukraine: ISW explains what it means

The terrorist country of Russia has deployed insufficiently equipped units that were originally intended to be used as operational reserves. This may indicate that the Russian military command has fallen behind the expected schedule for manning and arming units.

Insufficiently equipped enemy units were spotted in the Avdiivka and Toretsk sectors. This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for War Studies.

It is noted that the Russian military command intends to form the 27th Motorized Infantry Division as an operational reserve of the Central Group of Forces, which is currently responsible for Russia's offensive operations in the Avdiivka and Toretsk sectors. The enemy planned to use these units in the event of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

However, the occupiers have already moved the 433rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division, manned by the degrading remnants of the 21st Motorized Rifle Brigade, to the area northwest of Avdiivka before fully restoring its combat capability. The Russian military command also moved the 506th and 589th Motorized Rifle Regiments to the Toretsk sector ahead of schedule, before the units reached their planned deployment dates.

ISW analysts first recorded reports of units of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division operating near Avdiivka in April 2024 and near Toretsk in early July 2024. However, deploying these units to conduct combat operations earlier than planned may indicate that the Russian military command fell behind the anticipated manning and armament schedule and failed to equip these units.

Experts also suggest that Russia's efforts to build up reserves create a small number of additional forces that are not immediately sent to the front. In addition, the aggressor country cannot use them to gradually create operational reserves. At the same time, the Russian military command could have deployed units in advance to reinforce the exhausting attacks of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

As a reminder, the command of the Russian occupation forces is redeploying an unspecified number of forces to the border with the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. It is not yet clear whether it plans to immediately use them for combat operations in this area or simply to strengthen the Northern Group of Forces to bring it closer to its planned final strength.

Earlier it was reported that during the day on July 14, the Ukrainian Defense Forces neutralized 1200 Russian occupants at the front. The total number of losses of the Russian army for the entire period of the full-scale war reached 560,290 people killed and wounded.

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