Politico: Russia may have lost entire elite brigade near Vuhledar

Ukraine's Armed Forces might have destroyed "almost an entire brigade" of Russia's elite 155th naval infantry in the battles over Donetsk Oblast's Vuhledar, Politico reported, citing Ukrainian military official Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi.

The brigade totaled about 5,000 soldiers, whose members were killed, wounded, or captured, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the head of the united press center of the Tavriskiy District of Ukrainian defense forces.

Russian troops were losing 150-300 marines a day in that area, he told Politico. "In addition, over the past week, the enemy lost about 130 units of equipment, including 36 units of tanks."

Russia's recent failure in Vuhledar, a town that sits about 150 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut, points to the poor training of the newly mobilized Russian soldiers, the Institute for the Study of War said on Feb. 10.

Russian military bloggers blamed Russian commanders for downplaying that the poor systemic training of Russian mobilized personnel would likely continue to result in similar tactical failures.

"The 155th brigade already had to be restaffed three times. The first time after Irpin and Bucha; the second time they were defeated near Donetsk — they recovered again," according to Dmytrashkivskyi.

Ukraine's intelligence claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to fully occupy Donetsk Oblast, about half of which is currently under Russian control, by March.

One night in Bakhmut: Civilians wait for the end as Russia draws closer

The Kyiv Independent