Russia’s Wagner Group, a private military mercenary force, has reportedly seen each of its fighters burn an average of 2,000 rounds of ammunition a day as they try to repel a fierce Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Fighters from the Wagner group trying to hold onto gains in Ukraine’s Donbas region have faced an onslaught of attacks from Ukrainian forces trying to recapture lost ground, and heavy fighting is depleting ammunition at an alarming rate, according to a analysis by the Institute for the Study of War released Wednesday.
The report by the US-based think tank detailed the fighting around the city of Bakhmut, with Ukrainian forces attempting to retake positions south of the city and Russian forces attacking the city itself which has been pushed back from Ukraine.
RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT NOT SUFFICIENT FOR THE HARSH WINTERS LETS SOLDIERS DIE OF HYPOTHERMIA
Russian military and pro-Russian separatists stand guard as civilians are evacuated along humanitarian corridors from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
(Stringer/Anadolu agency via Getty Images)
Heavy fighting was also reported near Kherson Oblast where Ukrainian forces constantly attacked Russian positions around the city.
Heavy fighting has taken its toll on both sides, though fierce Ukrainian resistance has worked to stall Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war aims and prompted him to acknowledge that the conflict could drag on for some time.
Russian forces will also now be forced to battle Ukraine’s wintry weather, another possible roadblock amid reports earlier this week that the country’s military lacks enough clothing and equipment to fight the elements.
A Ukrainian flag flies over a badly damaged residential area in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, after the withdrawal of Russian troops.
(Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
PUTIN OPEN TO TALK WITH UKRAINE AFTER BIDEN SIGNALS WILLINGNESS IF RUSSIA WERE SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING THE WAR
“What is clear is that there is a bloodbath going on in eastern Ukraine and that the Russian military is not adequately equipped for winter combat,” Rebekah Koffler, former DIA intelligence officer and author of “ Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America,” he told Fox News Digital. “Some die of hyperthermia because the uniform isn’t warm enough to survive in extreme conditions.”
Koffler believes time may slow Putin down in the coming months, though he expects Russian forces to try to ramp up their activity again in the spring.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Putin announced yesterday that Russia has been in this fight for a long time, which is almost certainly correct. But we can expect the active combat phase to slow down now that winter has arrived. Otherwise, more soldiers will freeze to death than for the wounds,” Koffler said. “Putin will likely resume major assault operations in early spring.”
