UK says a quarter of Russian battalion groups that invaded Ukraine are likely "ineffective"

A car drives past a burnt Russian tank on a road west of Kyiv, on April 7, 2022, during Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine. - Six weeks after Russia invaded its neighbour, its troops have withdrawn from Kyiv and Ukraine's north and are focusing on the country's southeast, where desperate attempts are under way to evacuate civilians. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

A quarter of the Russian battalion groups that invaded Ukraine have likely now been rendered “ineffective,” according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

According to its figures, Russia committed over 120 battalion tactical groups, approximately 65% of its entire ground combat strength, at the start of the invasion.

“It is likely that more than a quarter of these units have now been rendered combat ineffective,” the Ministry of Defence said in its latest update.
“Some of Russia’s most elite units, including the VDV Airborne Forces, have suffered the highest levels of attrition. It will probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces.”