The Russian army struggles with these problems More than 140 migrants leave Humanity 1 in the Sicilian port

257 days after the start of the Russian war of aggression, fierce rage continues in large parts of Ukraine. The Russian military is also increasingly attacking the civilian population by attacking infrastructure essential to survival, but it is unable to report significant progress in the east of the country.

Apparently, the Russian troops lack supplies at various levels. This affects not only the numerous soldiers who died in the war against Ukraine – equipment is also becoming scarce. t-online has identified three issues that the Russian military is currently grappling with.

Bad mood among the recruits

According to the Kremlin, the Russian partial mobilization has been completed. As planned, 300,000 men were mobilized for the mission, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. In the training camps, however, the mood threatens to change: for several weeks now the reports have been piling up about miserable equipment, rusty guns and lack of functional clothing.

The protests of recently recruited recruits at a training camp in Kazan are representative of the problems. Footage posted to social media shows an altercation between a suspected Russian army general and a large group of angry men in uniform. The crowd seems so angry at the poor equipment that they demand that the general remove his insignia and chant the obscene swear word “pidaras” at him.

The unrest was apparently caused by a lack of food and dry firewood in the camp, Stern news magazine reported. The soldiers are said to have spent hours in the mud during training without adequate clothing. In Kazan, the temperature drops below freezing at night.

According to the Russian authorities, these problems were resolved the next day after a visit from the head of the facility. Experts nevertheless assume that Russia has great difficulty in training the recalled reservists and that soldiers sometimes have to send ill-prepared soldiers to the front. This is considered increasingly problematic for the combat morale of the troops. Meanwhile, experts at the American Institute of War Studies assume that Moscow is secretly preparing a second wave of mobilization.

Rocket Washers

The Russian defense industry lacks components. Due to the economic sanctions of Western countries, Russia cannot import chips and semiconductors without restriction. However, these are urgently needed for production, including the manufacture of missiles or tanks. At the same time, the losses are high: experts assume that about a third of the Russian tank fleet has already been lost.

Russia is apparently trying to remedy the situation by importing washing machines, as the news portal “ntv” reports. For example, the Caucasus states of Armenia and Kazakhstan could help Russia evade sanctions. In both countries, imports of washing machines, mainly from EU countries, have grown at an unusually high rate. In turn, the Russian arms industry can make good use of individual parts installed in household appliances.

Since May, there have been indications that Russia has been using dishwashers and washing machines to manufacture military equipment. However, there is no evidence of cooperation between Armenia and Kazakhstan. The countries would also break with the EU’s sanctions regime by trading in household appliances. Accordingly, not only the direct sale of weapons to Russia is prohibited. The export of devices containing versatile components (“dual use”) is also prohibited.

High Luftwaffe losses

The Russian Air Force apparently also suffers great losses: according to Ukrainian information, 278 aircraft have been destroyed on the Russian side since the start of the invasion. This information cannot be independently verified – but British intelligence also testifies to Russia’s “persistent lack of air superiority” in the war against Ukraine in its daily situation update.

According to the experts, Russia cannot compensate for the loss of aircraft. “The losses of Russian aircraft are likely to far exceed their ability to produce new airframes,” the Defense Ministry wrote Monday. In addition, there is a lack of capable pilots – whose training takes time. According to the British experts, the problems of the Russian air force are unlikely to be solved in the coming months.

sources:

(t-online, jro)