ISW: Conflict Between Spetznaz And Wagner Group Comes To Firefights

Internal friction between elements of different Russian units is increasing.

Russian federal regions are continuing additional recruitment of future occupiers for volunteer battalions. These forces continue to deploy to training grounds ahead of deployment to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, internal friction between elements of different units is increasing in Putin's army. This is stated in the summary of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to information from Russian propaganda resources, Primorsky Krai’s military commissioner announced that 140 people (half of the 280 target) have signed up for Primorsky Krai’s “Arsenyevskyi” volunteer repair battalion.

Also Chelyabinsk’s military commissar is conducting additional recruitment drives for the “Yuzhnouralets” and “Yuzhnyi Ural” volunteer battalions, one of which ISW previously reported has already deployed to a training ground and the other of which is still forming.

Furthermore, the “Orlovskyi” volunteer battalion has deployed to a base in Russia prior to deploying to Ukraine on August 25. Russian media also reported that Bashkortostan’s “Shaimuratov” and “Dostavalov” volunteer battalions are completing their training and will deploy to Ukraine at an unspecified date in the near future.

At the same time, Internal friction between elements of different Russian conventional forces, special forces, private military company (PMC) workers, and national guard elements may be increasing.

The ISW cited the example of an unconfirmed Twitter post, which cited sources within the 22nd Spetznaz Brigade, claimed that relations between Russian Spetznaz units are breaking down, as are relationships between Spetznaz units and PMC elements.

The post claims that a conflict between groups from two Spetznaz brigades and a PMC unit turned into an armed fight when one Spetznaz unit sided with the PMC unit instead of the other Spetznaz unit. The Russian military leadership is leveraging PMC elements such as the Wagner Group and Spetznaz as key manoeuvre elements," the analysts noted.