Ukraine war 'gone terribly wrong' for Russia: elite unit apparently 'wiped out'
Created: 2022-12-19 04:45
By: Victoria Krumbeck
A report shows how a Russian rifle brigade was almost wiped out in a matter of months.
A military strike emblematic of Putin's war in Ukraine.
Munich/Helsinki - They call themselves the "200.
Separate Motor Rifle Brigade”.
They are soldiers arming a nuclear arsenal on Russia's Kola Peninsula near the Finnish border.
They have been guarding missiles stored in bunkers since the Cold War.
At the beginning of the Ukraine war, the soldiers were sent to Kharkiv.
Documents show what the war did to the unit.
Experts even speak of "extinction".
Ukraine war: Russian elite soldiers 'wiped out' in the war
The
Washington Post
has documents showing the war's dramatic impact on the elite group.
The 200th Brigade was one of the first units to enter Kharkiv on February 24th.
When she returned to Russia at the end of May, the brigade numbered fewer than 900 soldiers.
Between 1,400 and 1,600 soldiers are said to have left Russia, according to Western officials monitoring the unit.
The commander of the 200th brigade was seriously injured.
Many were given the status of "missing," "hospitalized," or "refuser," according to one document.
These are internal Russian military files obtained by Ukrainian security services and made available to the
Washington Post
.
Soldiers from a Russian Northern Fleet brigade during a training exercise.
© Lev Fedoseyev/TASS/IMAGO
According to the documents, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to compensate for the losses of the soldiers with replacements.
"They barely have 60 percent strength and are forced to rely on reinforcements that aren't anywhere near enough," said Pekka Toveri, former director of Finnish intelligence, in an interview with The
Washington Post
.
“You have guys who refuse to fight, guys who are missing.
Everything tells us that the war went horribly wrong for Russia.”
Ukraine war: “Nothing left” of Russian elite unit
In further skirmishes, the elite group suffered heavy casualties.
For example in July in the northeastern village of Hrakove or in the Ukrainian offensive to recapture Kharkiv.
Poorly trained soldiers and outdated equipment are now what characterize the former elite group.
"The unit is in a state of disrepair," told the
Washington Post
a soldier now serving in the 200th Brigade.
He was drafted by Putin's partial mobilization order.
"They don't even train us.
They just tell you, 'You're a Sagittarius now.
There you go, here's a machine gun,'” the soldier continued to report.
When the 200th Brigade was pushed out of Kharkiv by the Ukrainian soldiers, it was nearing its end.
Most officers were killed or injured.
About 70 percent of the equipment was destroyed or stolen.
"There is nothing left of this brigade," Colonel Pavlo Fedosenko, commander of Ukraine's 92nd Mechanized Brigade, said in an interview with The
Washington Post
.
"It's completely wiped out," Fedosenko said.
Western security officials have a similar assessment of the situation.
It is said to be several years before the 200th Brigade is rebuilt.
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The decline of the 200th Brigade reflects Russia's war in Ukraine.
The brigade's soldiers had better training, more experience, and better weapons, but none of this gave them any advantage in the war.
Once again, the case of the 200th Brigade shows that Russia did not count on Ukraine's resilience.
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