Russian commanders constructing company-size units for urban combat - ISW

Russian commanders are reportedly constructing specialized company-size units within key frontline formations engaged in urban combat to reinforce the diminished combat effectiveness of most Russian units.

That's according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

According to ISW analysts, a reliable Ukrainian reserve officer released a reportedly captured document on April 6 detailing the recruitment of personnel (who receive the status of BARS reservists) to form new "Storm Z" companies within elements of the 8th Combined Arms Army (Southern Military District) and the 1st Army Corps, the armed forces of the "Donetsk People's Republic."

Each company is comprised of 100 personnel, broken into four capture squads (10 personnel each), four fire support squads (10 personnel each), a 2-person company command element, a 5-person combat engineering group, an 8-person reconnaissance group, a three-person medevac group, and a 2-person UAV crew. "Storm Z" companies are intended to conduct urban combat operations or operations in complicated geographic areas to capture important and strategic objects such as strongholds, command posts, and communication centers. The Ukrainian reserve officer noted that the personnel that staff these companies receive 10 to 15 days of refresher training, a remarkably short amount of time to adequately train personnel (even reservists with some experience) to perform complex combat tasks and create unit cohesion.

According to analysts, the "Storm Z" companies will likely primarily deploy along the Avdiivka–Donetsk City frontline, where Southern Military District units are heavily committed to continuously unsuccessful offensive operations.