Russia sends prematurely discharged wounded soldiers into battle – UK intelligence
Pravda Ukraine
UK Defence Intelligence has drawn attention to Russia’s widespread practice of sending wounded soldiers back into combat prematurely.
Source: UK Defence Intelligence update dated 2 February on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: UK intelligence, citing open sources, reports that Russia’s 20th Combined Arms Army has formed assault groups composed of wounded soldiers and sent them into combat.
“It is highly likely injured Russian personnel are being returned to combat duties in Ukraine with unhealed wounds, often on crutches,” the update says.
UK Defence Intelligence suggests that the Russian command may be using this tactic to retain personnel who would otherwise become lost in the overburdened medical system.
“The injured soldiers have likely been returned to their units after being discharged from forward medical facilities, prematurely, at the behest of their commanders.
This reduces the pressure on the overburdened military medical system and increases [a] unit’s ability to track and use wounded servicemen for operational tasks,” the update says.
UK intelligence argues that the lack of adequate medical care in facilities far from the war zone makes it necessary to shift the administrative and medical burden back to military units.
Background:
- In a previous update, UK intelligence analysed Ukrainian strikes on an oil depot at Russia’s Engels-2 airfield in Saratov Oblast on 8 and 14 January.
- In its 27 January update, UK Defence Intelligence analysed the course of hostilities in Kharkiv Oblast and the Russian objectives in the area.
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