Changes to daylight hours, temperature, and weather in the upcoming winter will create challenges for both Russian and Ukrainian forces, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 14. “Any decisions that the Russian General Staff make will be in part informed by the onset of winter,” the report reads.
Reduced daylight hours will result in fewer offensives and more static defensive frontlines, while the low temperature will put troops lacking in winter weather clothing and accommodation at risk of cold injuries, according to the ministry.
These changes in conditions “will provide additional challenges to the already low morale of Russian forces, but also present problems for kit maintenance” with an increased possibility of weapon malfunctions, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote.
(Updated: )
