Russian first major tank formation in Ukraine war is already hit ‘with heavy losses’ with low morale
Russia’s new tank regiment loses a “large proportion” of its vehicles and suffers heavy human losses while gaining only a small amount of territory, with analysts blaming drunken, ill-disciplined soldiers and flawed assault plans.
- Russia’s 10th Tank Regiment of the 3rd Army Corps ‘lost a large proportion of tanks’
- The new formation is plagued by “poor discipline, low morale, and drunken soldiers.”
A Russian tank formation intended to cause devastation in the Ukraine has been reported to have suffered heavy losses due to low morale and a lack of discipline.
The 10th Tank Regiment is part of the 3rd Army Corps, the first major new Russian formation in the invasion, but has already lost “a large proportion of its tanks, according to British intelligence.”
After unsuccessful attempts to capture Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, Moscow is diverting the sick legion to nearby Avdiivka, The telegraph informs.
There, Kremlin strategists hope that the regiment will be able to encircle fewer Ukrainian troops defending the city.
Western analysts believe Russia has lost 1,900 tanks since the start of its invasion in March last year.
Russia’s 10th Tank Regiment is part of the 3rd Army Corps, but has already lost “a large part of its tanks” (Pictured: An abandoned Russian tank in the Kharkiv region)
Bad military decisions have been blamed for recent heavy losses in the Donetsk region.
The Ministry of Defense stated: “The 10th Tank Regiment’s losses have largely been due to tactically flawed frontal attacks similar to those of other recent failed Russian armor attacks, such as around Vuhledar itself.”
Other sources claim that the regiment’s discipline has rapidly declined after a series of military failures. Soldiers in the 3rd Corps are described as poorly disciplined and regularly drunk.
Furthermore, the troops are said to have received poor training in Belarus and are using outdated weapons according to Ukrainian sources.
As a result, Russian forces are now increasingly using armor on suicide attempt missions.
The troops are said to have received poor training in Belarus and are using outdated weapons according to Ukrainian sources.
Oryx, an intelligence platform that tracks battle losses, says that of Moscow’s 1,900 tanks lost, some 1,147 have been destroyed and another 500 captured by Ukraine.
Russia has also lost armored vehicles and artillery shells among 10,000 military pieces of military equipment.
But despite these losses, Russia is still on the offensive in eastern Ukraine. Vitaliy Barabash, the top military officer in Avdiivka, barred journalists and aid workers from entering amid efforts to defend the city from the next wave of attacks.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has demanded that Russia call for an immediate end to the invasion.
He said: ‘I want to be clear: Russia has to withdraw from every square meter of Ukrainian territory. There should be no misinterpretation of what the word withdrawn implies.
‘The cessation of Russian aggression and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity are essential conditions for peace. In this fight, we are defending the entire democratic world.’