Mounting losses affecting Russian forces’ morale - ISW

Massive casualties that the Russian invasion forces are suffering in Ukraine affect the morale of Russian officers and soldiers.

That’s according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War.

“Mounting casualties among Russian junior officers will likely further degrade Russian capabilities and lead to further morale breakdowns,” the report reads.

ISW previously assessed that continued demoralization and poor command and control among Russian forces could present Ukrainian forces opportunities to conduct prudent counteroffensives, particularly as the Russian military continues to pour resources into the battle of Severodonetsk at the cost of other lines of effort.

The experts add that domestic dissent will be growing within Russian military circles, claiming that the Kremlin is not doing enough to win the war, continues to grow.

The Kremlin is increasingly facing discontent not from Russians opposed to the war as a whole, but military and nationalist figures angry at Russian losses and frustrated with shifting Kremlin framing of the war, the report reads.