UK Ministry Of Defence: Russia Suffered Devastating Losses Amongst Its Mid And Junior Ranking Officers

This will only worsen the problems of the Russian army.

The UK Ministry of Defence has reported devastating losses amongst its mid and junior ranking officers since the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The UK Ministry of Defence noted that brigade and battalion commanders likely deploy forwards into harm's way because they are held to an uncompromising level of responsibility for their units' performance, according to NV.ua.

Similarly, junior officers have had to lead the lowest level tactical actions, as the army lacks the cadre of highly trained and empowered non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who fulfil that role in Western forces.

"The loss of large proportion of the younger generation of professional officers will likely exacerbate its ongoing problems in modernising its approach to command and control," the statement reads.

The Defence Intelligence added that the Russian battalion tactical groups (BTGs) which are being reconstituted in Ukraine from survivors of multiple units are likely to be less effective due to a lack of junior leaders.

“With multiple credible reports of localised mutinies amongst Russia's forces in Ukraine, a lack of experienced and credible platoon and company commanders is likely to result in a further decrease in morale and continued poor discipline,” the statement said.