Until the invasion of Ukraine, they guarded Russia’s arctic arsenal in the Murmansk region or helped secure the power of Syrian ruler Bashar Al Assad (57). Now the 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade appears to have come to an end.
The elite soldiers were among the first to attack the country on February 24 as part of the invasion of Ukraine. However, their mission, which began with an attack on Kharkiv, failed as early as May. The brigade retreated and made a desperate attempt to regroup.
At this point, the brigade’s two more than 1,400-strong battalions would have fewer than 900 soldiers left – not counting wounded, missing and deserters. The Briade should therefore consist of far fewer than 900 soldiers, the Washington Post reports.
Commander was seriously injured
The mobile rocket launchers and state-of-the-art tanks with which the brigade entered Ukraine were destroyed or fell into enemy hands. Their commander Denis Kurilo was badly wounded in combat.
Internal documents show that the commander’s injuries were so severe that he could not remember what happened on the battlefield and had to be taken to a hospital.
According to the report, Kurilo’s wife confirmed that he has now been away from Ukraine for about six months.
Not much is left of the 200th Brigade
Since May, the brigade has suffered further casualties. At the beginning of the war it consisted of highly qualified professional soldiers, now it is just a small collection of poorly trained conscripts.
“The unit is in a state of disrepair,” the paper quoted a soldier now serving with the 200th Brigade who had been called up as part of the partial mobilization. The equipment is catastrophic. The helmets would date from World War II. And the men would not have been properly trained. They don’t even train us. … They just tell you, ‘You’re a Sagittarius now. There you go, here’s a machine gun.”
Wounded were left behind
Taras Shevchenko, who commands a Ukrainian artillery and reconnaissance unit, met the depleted Russian force in early June. He reports on the unprofessional behavior of the Russian brigadier generals, who were sunbathing and walking around without protective vests and helmets.
The Ukrainian forces took their chance and inflicted a heavy defeat on the enemy unit. According to Shevchenko, the Russians abandoned their wounded in the chaotic retreat, many of whom are said to have bled to death in agony.
It will take years to rebuild the brigade
Other Ukrainian commanders tell of battles in which soldiers of the 200th brigade did not want to fight or disobeyed orders.
“There is nothing left of this brigade. It has been completely wiped out,” Pavlo Fedosenko said in the report. He commands the 92nd Motorized Brigade in the Ukrainian army. No other Ukrainian unit fought more battles with the former pride of the Russian army.
An agent of the European secret service completes the desolate picture of the once feared elite unit. He says it will take years to rebuild the 200th Brigade.
Several factors prevent a successful invasion
Meanwhile, the entire Russian army resembles the 200th brigade: seriously exhausted, seriously demoralized and filled with inexperienced recruits.
On the one hand, the failure of the Russian army can be explained by the performance of the Ukrainian army. On the other hand, many other factors made the invasion impossible altogether.
These included widespread corruption in the Russian ranks, strategic misjudgments, and the Kremlin’s inability to correctly assess the true capabilities of its own forces and those of the enemy.
Marian Nadler
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
