Ukraine's counterattack in Severodonetsk forces Russia to resort to damage control: UK MoD

As the Russian forces continue to attack several Ukrainian cities including-- Donbas and Severodonetsk- the UK Ministry of Defence, in its daily intelligence report, claimed that the Ukrainian forces have launched a counterattack operation in the eastern region. The operation resulted in a significant decrease in attacks on civilian areas. Notably, the regions were earlier seized by Russian forces by concentrating combat units and firepower, the report said. "Over the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have counterattacked in the contested city of Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, likely blunting the operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower," according to the intelligence update. 

Further, the intelligence report claimed that the Russian leaders engaged personnel from the reserve of Russian-led Separatist Forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic. As per the UK MoD, these troops are neither adequately trained nor have heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units. "Russian forces committed in this area include personnel mobilised from the reserve of Russian-led Separatist Forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic. These troops are poorly equipped and trained and lack heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units," the UK MoD claimed.

Moscow govt using Russian-led separatist forces to minimise casualty: Intel report says

The report mentioned that the same tactics had been used by the Russian government during the Syrian war. The proxy infantry forces were used for urban clearance operations in Syria. "The use of proxy infantry forces for urban clearance operations is a Russian tactic previously observed in Syria, where Russia employed the V Corps of the Syrian Army to assault urban areas," it added. Further, it mentioned that the same method has been used in Ukraine to minimise the casualties in the regular Russian army.  Meanwhile, on Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that at least 100 Russian soldiers were killed in the last 24 hours. With the latest announcement, the total Russian casualty reached 31,150. However, the number has been not confirmed by the Russian Defence Ministry. Notably, the ongoing war has recently marked 100 days in which more than 4,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than seven million were displaced.

Image: AP