The growing desertion problem in the Russian military has also begun to affect its elite force, the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces), according to an internal document leaked to Russian Telegram channels.

The document was originally published on the Russian Cheka-OGPU Telegram channel, named after Soviet Russia’s first secret police, and independent researcher Chris Owen said it most likely came from the Russian prosecutor’s office.

The official act is a summary of criminal cases against the Air Force, most likely starting on February 1, 2023, although this is not entirely clear.

The document refers to 325 cases of absenteeism in this type of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, it is noted that 228 servicemen have been “reinstated”, and another 97 are wanted.

Chris Owen notes that given that the VDV force is said to number around 40,000 (45,000 prior to the start of the war in Ukraine), the number of defectors represented in this document alone would be almost 1% of the total strength of the VDV.

Owen also points out that military court records in Russia show an increase in deserters. This situation was also noted by the British Ministry of Defense, which in its assessment published on May 24 noted that official Russian court documents show that Vladimir Putin’s army had more deserters in the first 3 months of this year than in all of 2022.

“It is also interesting to note that the document records 29 deaths during this period, 6 of which occurred as a result of “incidents” (probably of a criminal nature. There were also 4 cases of serious bodily injury recorded. This is most likely the result of some fights between soldiers “, Chris Owen also notes about the new document.

The Russian landing forces suffered huge losses in the first months of the invasion

The US Institute for the Study of War noted as recently as last May that Russian forces may have run out of combat-ready reservists, prompting the Russian military command to mix soldiers from several different elements, including private military companies and pro-Russian militias, into what appear to be regular army and marine units. infantry

“Russian private military companies appear to be forming consolidated units with amphibious elements due to significant troop losses,” ISW said, calling the situation “shocking.”

“The disfigurement of elite airborne units by mercenaries is shocking and would be the clearest evidence that Russia has exhausted its available reserves of combat-ready troops,” he emphasized.

Also last May, the British Ministry of Defense noted that Russia’s airborne forces were experiencing some of the worst military setbacks in Ukraine, in part because they were being used in operations normally entrusted to mechanized infantry or armored vehicles. strength

“The Airborne Forces carried out missions more suitable for armored infantry troops and suffered heavy losses during the campaign. Their uneven performance likely reflects the strategic mismanagement of this capability and Russia’s failure to assert its air superiority,” the Ministry of Defense said in London on May 26, 2022.

“The inability to anticipate Ukrainian resistance and the subsequent self-sufficiency of Russian commanders led to significant losses in many of the most elite Russian units,” he added.

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