Most of Russian units in Kherson region undermanned – UK intelligence
The UK Ministry of Defense said this in its latest intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
“The Southern Military District’s (SMD) 49th Combined Arms Army has highly likely been augmented with components of the Eastern Military District’s (EMD) 35th Combined Arms Army. Most of the [Russian] units around Kherson are likely under-manned and are reliant upon fragile supply lines by ferry and pontoon bridges across the Dnipro,” the report says.
The ministry added that the integration of SMD and EMD units suggests a significant reorganization of Russia’s force in Ukraine.
“There is a realistic possibility that Russia has moved to rationalise the several, semi-independent, operational commands which contributed to its poor performance early in the invasion,” the report says.
It is noted that if Ukraine succeeds in undertaking sustained offensive operations in the Kherson direction, the cohesion of this untested structure will likely be a key factor in the sustainability of Russian defences in the south.
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