The Ukraine war is likely to rage on into the winter, and an analyst from a Russian research group believes the cold weather could be beneficial for Ukrainian soldiers. The reason is therefore an acute lack of suitable winter equipment among the Russians.
Winter could be difficult for Russian soldiers in Ukraine. At least that’s what the analyst at the independent Russian research group Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), Kyrylo Mykhailov, expects in an interview with The New Voice of Ukraine. He assumes that the Ukrainian army will then have the upper hand over the Russian armed forces.
Mykhailov said tapped phone calls from Russian soldiers indicate that Moscow’s mobilized volunteer force is struggling with an acute shortage of proper winter gear. “I don’t think the Russian army is capable of solving this problem fast enough,” Mykhailov said.
“Of course, Russian volunteers will help, but we have to be aware that their movement is much smaller than the Ukrainian one and that they cannot adequately supply their army.” Any combat operations are more difficult to conduct in winter, Mykhailov added. However, the Ukrainian army receives winter kits from both international partners and Ukrainian civilians, giving it a “certain advantage” over the Russian armed forces.
Again and again there are reports of bad conditions for the Russian soldiers. As the Task Force South of the Ukrainian Army announced on Monday, the Russian 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps refused to perform its duties due to a lack of support and poor conditions. Among other things, there was a lack of water.
The report of a Russian soldier who fled abroad also recently caused a stir. In it, paratrooper Pavel Filatev describes how he was confronted with “complete anarchy and a lack of combat readiness in a strategically important area” in Crimea this year. Equipment and uniforms were missing in his unit. Filatev writes in his report, among other things, that he had to buy suitable shoes and uniform parts himself.