Russia moving reserves forces for offensive – UK intelligence

Russia is moving reserve forces from across the country and assembling them near Ukraine for future offensive operations, equipping infantry units with obsolete equipment taken from long-term storage.

The UK Ministry of Defense said this in its latest intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia is moving reserve forces from across the country and assembling them near Ukraine for future offensive operations. A large proportion of the new infantry units are probably deploying with MT-LB armored vehicles taken from long-term storage as their primary transport," the report said.

According to the report, while MT-LBs have previously been in service in support roles on both sides, Russia has long considered them unsuitable for most front-line infantry transport roles. It was originally designed in the 1950s as a tractor to pull artillery, has very limited armor, and only mounts a machine gun for protection.

"In contrast, most of Russia’s first echelon assault units were equipped with BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles in February, featuring armor up to 33mm thick and mounting a powerful 30mm autocannon and an anti-tank missile launcher," the ministry said.

It also added that despite President Putin’s claim on July 7, 2022 that the Russian military has "not even started" its efforts in Ukraine, many of its reinforcements are ad hoc groupings, deploying with obsolete or inappropriate equipment.