Some Russian Troop Companies Down 94% in Ukraine, U.K. Intelligence Says

Russian companies in Ukraine are being sent out to fight with between just six and eight men when normally 100 would be deployed, according to an intelligence report. The British defense ministry on Friday said Russian officers had described the extreme lack of manpower in the Kherson sector of southern Ukraine. “Russia has likely augmented some of its units west of the Dnipro River with mobilized reservists,” the intelligence update said. “However, this is from an extremely low level of manning. In September 2022, Russian officers described companies in the Kherson sector as consisting of between six and eight men each. Companies should deploy with around 100 personnel.” The report added that Russian forces had spent the last six weeks transitioning to a “long-term, defensive posture” on the front line, most likely “due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations.”