Due to the significant losses of the Russian military personnel in Ukraine, the Russian Federation started to mobilize military reinforcements on the occupied territories of Georgia to participate in the warfare in Ukraine. This was reported by The Washington Post, citing the anonymous source in the U.S. Department of Defense.
“Now we have signs that they are engaging forces from Georgia,” said the Pentagon representative, emphasizing that there is no information on the number of the mercenaries involved.
At the same time, there are reports that thousands of Russian service members are stationed at military pickets from Georgia to Syria and Tajikistan. Many of them are assigned to motorized infantry brigades, which experts believe are ready for combat and immediate deployment. Troops stationed in the occupied territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and Armenia, Syria, and Tajikistan are considered the most suitable for transfer.
The Pentagon believes that the Kremlin is now relying on these forces to continue the ground offensive, as Russian commanders are suffering significant losses in Ukraine. According to Pentagon’s data, after meeting the fierce resistance in the cities and their outskirts around Ukraine, Russia has from 85% to 90% of “combat power” left. Initially, the invasion force amounted to about 150,000 personnel. Earlier this week, NATO estimated that about 15,000 Russian servicemen had been killed in the four weeks of the war. At the same time, Russia announced a much smaller number of losses - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation declared 1351 dead in a month.
The military experts believe that the new reinforcements could bring “temporary relief” to the Russian forces in Ukraine, but they are unlikely to change the course of the war. Experts emphasize that Russia can not transfer many foreign forces without creating vulnerability in other “hot spots.”
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has problems with providing the military with qualified personnel and working equipment.