Vladimir Putin’s troops are being hampered by “ageing military vehicles and weapons” as they are ordered to seize more territory in Ukraine, British defence chiefs said on Thursday.
They also stressed that the Russian president forces are still using “Soviet-era tactics” which is leaving them bogged down as they seek to gain fresh momentum in the Donbas eastern region.
The Russian military recently captured the twin cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the Luhansk province in the Donbas.
Mr Putin’s forces are now believed to be in an “operational pause”, continuing artillery and air bombardments but with less ground offensives, before they try to seize more ground in the Donetsk area, which is the second province which makes up the Donbas industrial region.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “In the Donbas, Russian forces continue to conduct artillery strikes across a broad front followed by, in some areas, probing assaults by small company and platoon-sized units.
“However, they have achieved no significant territorial advances over the last 72 hours and are in danger of losing any momentum built up following the capture of Lysychansk.
“The ageing vehicles, weapons, and Soviet-era tactics used by Russian forces do not lend themselves to quickly regaining or building momentum unless used in overwhelming mass – which Russia is currently unable to bring to bear.”
The briefing also stressed: “Despite 13 July 2022 talks between delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN on grain exports and recent successfully negotiated prisoner exchanges, the prospects for wider talks to end the conflict remain low.”
The intelligence briefings from the MoD need to be treated with caution as Britain, together with other allies, is fighting an information war with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine which Mr Putin unleashed on February 24.
They rarely highlight defeats suffered by Ukrainian forces, instead focusing on Russian shortcomings.
However, the propaganda coming out of the Kremlin is far harder to believe, partly as it has not even admitted an invasion is taking place or that civilian areas are being targeted, with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of civilians killed.
