402
aihue
joined 1 year ago
Military service in the Russian Armed Forces has become increasingly lucrative since the invasion. On 4 February 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that a lieutenant received 81,200 rubles per month. By October 2022, he announced that even mobilised private soldiers would receive 195,000 rubles per month.
Many junior ranks serving in Ukraine are now on over 200,000 rubles per month. This is over 2.7 times the Russian national average salary of 72,851 rubles. By way of comparison, 2.7 times the average UK salary would equate to over £90,000 a year.
It is highly likely that the salary and additional benefits are a strong incentive for personnel to join up, especially to those from the poorer areas of Russia. However, Russia is still unlikely to meet its targets for recruiting volunteers to the ranks.
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 29.08.23 were approximately:
- personnel - about 261840 (+530) people / persons,
- tanks - 4414 (+14) units,
- armored personnel carriers - 8579 (+17) units
- artillery systems - 5450 (+25) units,
- MLRS - 733 (+3) units,
- air defense systems / Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 500 (+1) units
- aircraft - 315 (+0) units
- helicopters - 316 (+0) units,
- UAV operational-tactical level - 4387 (+4),
- cruise missiles - 1419 (+4),
- ships / boats / warships / boats - 18 (+0) units,
- vehicles and fuel tanks - 7909 (+43) units
- special equipment - 820 (+11).
Data are being updated.
Russia has highly likely cancelled Exercise ZAPAD (‘West’) 23, its planned ‘joint strategic exercise’ (JSE) and major annual event intended to be the culmination of the military’s training year. The exercise should have taken place in September 2023.
From 2010 Russia ran a four-year cycle, rotating JSEs around the country. However, since 2021, Russia has based the JSE in western Russia at least every second year as it prioritises confronting what it perceives as the threat from NATO. This follows ZAPAD 21, the largest Russian exercise since Soviet times.
The Russian military’s under-performance in Ukraine has highlighted how JSEs have had limited training value and have largely been for show. Russia has likely cancelled ZAPAD 23 because too few troops and equipment are available. There is a realistic possibility that the Russian leadership is also sensitive to domestic criticism liable from running another slickly presented JSE during wartime.
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 28.08.23 were approximately:
- personnel - about 261310 (+490) people / persons,
- tanks - 4400 (+4) units,
- armored personnel carriers - 8562 (+8) units
- artillery systems - 5425 (+22) units,
- MLRS - 730 (+2) units,
- air defense systems / Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 499 (+1) units
- aircraft - 315 (+0) units
- helicopters - 316 (+0) units,
- UAV operational-tactical level - 4383 (+5),
- cruise missiles - 1415 (+4),
- ships / boats / warships / boats - 18 (+0) units,
- vehicles and fuel tanks - 7866 (+12) units,
- special equipment - 809 (+1).
Data are being updated.
Russia is almost certainly struggling with a crisis of combat medical provision, after suffering an average of around 400 casualties a day for 17 months.
The influx of military casualties has likely undermined the normal provision of some Russian civilian medical services, especially in border regions near Ukraine. It is likely that many dedicated military hospitals are being reserved for officer casualties.
As claimed by the head of the Kalashnikov company's combat medicine training division, it is likely that up to 50 per cent of Russian combat fatalities could have been prevented with proper first aid. Very slow casualty evacuation, combined with the inappropriate use of the crude in-service Russian combat tourniquet, is reportedly a leading cause of preventable fatalities and amputations.
