Russian forces continue to suffer from 'key weaknesses' despite anti-tank mines slowing Ukraine's advance
Russian forces continue to suffer from "key weaknesses, especially overstretched units and a shortage of artillery munitions" despite slowing Ukraine's armoured counter-offensive operations, UK intelligence says.
According to the latest Ministry of Defence (MOD) intelligence update, Russia has been able to slow the Ukrainian advance using a "very heavy use of anti-tank mines".
"In recent weeks, Russia has prioritised and refined tactics aimed at slowing Ukrainian armoured counter-offensive operations in southern Ukraine," the intelligence reported.
The update continued: "The core of this approach has been Russia's very heavy use of anti-tank mines. In some areas, the density of its minefields indicate that it has likely used many more mines than laid down in its military doctrine.
"Having slowed the Ukrainian advance, Russia has then attempted to strike Ukrainian armoured vehicles with one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), attack helicopters and artillery."
However, MOD intelligence believes that "although Russia has achieved some success with this approach in the early stages of Ukraine's counter-offensive, its forces continue to suffer from key weaknesses, especially overstretched units and a shortage of artillery munitions".
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a major upgrade of anti-aircraft defences following the reported Russian drone attack that killed at least two people and injured 19 in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday.
He said in his nightly video address that "unfortunately, our country does not yet have a sufficient number of high-quality air defence systems to protect our entire territory and shoot down all enemy targets".
Mr Zelensky added: "We will do everything possible and impossible to make our air defences the strongest."
Ukrainian authorities recently reported that, under emergency legislation, 139,000 citizens have been evacuated from the combat zones in the Ukrainian-controlled areas.
MOD intelligence said that the citizens vacated "Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions since July 2022", adding that "this is just one part of Ukraine's ongoing broader crisis of displacement."
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence however appears to be remaining resistant and more determined than ever, even posting a video aimed at Russian tourists to Crimea, warning "all unwanted guests" of stormy weather.
It has produced an 80s-style parody video warning Russian holidaymakers to 'stay away'.
The video features scenes from films like Jaws, Dirty Dancing and The Big Lebowski played to the soundtrack of Madonna's hit song Holiday.
Join Our Newsletter
