UK intelligence assesses combat efficiency of Russian units in Bakhmut

Russia has continued to redeploy regular units to the Bakhmut sector, as the Wagner Group assault detachment completes its withdrawal to rear areas.

“Russian VDV [airborne forces] have assumed an increasingly important role in Bakhmut: elements of the 76th and 106th divisions and two additional separate VDV brigades are now deployed to the sector,” Caliber.Az reports citing the UK Defence Ministry's daily intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 03 June 2023.

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According to the Defence Ministry, VDV is much degraded from its pre-invasion “elite” status. However, Russian commanders have likely attempted to maintain some of these still relatively capable units as an uncommitted reserve.

“Because they have instead been forced to deploy them to hold the front line in Bakhmut, the whole Russian force is likely to be less flexible in reacting to operational challenges,” the report added.