The Russian Ministry of Defense is centralizing command and control over irregular forces, which is likely to facilitate their use in offensive operations in Ukraine, reports the UK Ministry of Defense.
According to the report, in February 2023, the Russian military created its volunteer corps that united more than 20,000 mercenaries, reservists, and former prisoners serving in numerous irregular units under a single system of management and control.
Since the volunteer corps was formed, irregulars have been increasingly used in offensive operations for which they are ill-suited. Russia's irregulars are mostly light infantry units that lack integrated artillery or air support, making them more vulnerable than Russia's regular forces.
“Consequently, during the last 9 months, Russian irregular units have likely sustained proportionally higher casualty rates than Russian regular units,” the British Ministry of Defense says.
Earlier, British intelligence reported that Moscow had stepped up recruitment of prisoners in Africa.
In May, the average losses among the Russian army exceeded 1,200 per day.
