in what state is the Russian army after eight months of fighting?

300,000. This is the figure announced by Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, who wants to enlist additional soldiers in the Russian army to help his troops defeat Ukrainian forces on the ground. Since this announcement, 10,000 reservists have volunteered to join the army in 24 hours. Several media ensure that many of them were in fact forcibly recruited without any summons.

An army poorly prepared militarily

This help of soldiers is in any case welcome for the Russian army. But overall, this army feels like some sort of whole thing that doesn’t work at all. We are dealing with a few professionals who are very good in their field, surrounded by thousands of poorly trained men, with a problematic leadership inherited from the Soviet era.

For example, there are very few non-commissioned officers in the Russian army, which implies that the officers are on the front lines in Ukraine. They get killed there and the ensuing loss of skills is dramatic over the length. The Russian organization is based on tactical battalions that combine artillery, infantry, anti-aircraft, which requires ultra-competent leaders.

A weakness revealed by the duration of the fighting in Ukraine. This hasty assembly of military units does indeed look like DIY. In the Russian army, the practice of Dedovshchina – a very violent form of hazing – is particularly widespread. This practice drives away all the best mobilizable soldiers.

Obsolete military equipment

On the material aspect, Russia is also not at its best and this is one of the revelations of this conflict. The Russian army has remained very Soviet despite the massive investments that have been trumpeted in recent years. The newest tank, for example, the T-14 was produced in only about twenty copies. The factories supposed to manufacture them are at a standstill, due to a lack of electronic components.

Same thing for modern missiles. There are so few of them that the Russians brought out the declassified devices fifteen years ago. The Russian army therefore aligns tanks, troop transports, cannons by the thousands, but this old equipment is very vulnerable and above all corresponds to a time when generals could sacrifice machines and men without counting, which is no longer possible. today.