US Intelligence: Russian Army is Short of Human Resources
The Russian military is facing a shortage of manpower for its military campaign in Ukraine and is looking to recruit contract soldiers, a US official said on August 31, citing intelligence sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on August 25 to increase the size of the country's armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million as the military campaign in Ukraine enters its seventh month.
Russia has not disclosed its losses in the conflict with Ukraine, however, Western officials and Kiev say Moscow's losses run into the thousands.
 |
A Russian tank in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, July 23, 2022. Photo: Reuters |
“The Russian military is suffering from a severe shortage of manpower in Ukraine,” an unnamed US official said, citing intelligence from a subordinate.
According to the official, the Russian Defense Ministry is looking to recruit contract soldiers to make up for this personnel shortage, “including bringing wounded soldiers back to combat, recruiting personnel from private security companies and paying extra for conscripts.”
Meanwhile, Germany warned the West not to underestimate Russia's military power.
In an interview with Reuters on August 31, German Army Chief of Staff Eberhard Zorn said that Russia's offensive had slowed down but Moscow was still moving forward. The German general said that Russia would not run out of ammunition soon.
“Russia has a huge amount of ammunition to use. Some of this ammunition is old and no longer capable of precision strikes, but it still causes great destruction to civilian infrastructure. They (Russia) fire about 40,000 to 60,000 artillery shells per day,” Mr. Zorn commented./.
Challenges for Ukraine in the counter-offensive against Russia
30/08/2022