Russia is redeploying 1,200-2,000 troops from Russian-occupied Georgia and reorganizing them into three battle groups “to bolster its invasion of Ukraine”. The UK Ministry of Defense said Thursday night, his latest intelligence update. “It is highly unlikely that Russia planned to generate reinforcements in this way and it is indicative of the unexpected losses it suffered during the invasion.”

Russia has stationed its forces in parts of the former Soviet republic since its 2008 invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree earlier on Thursday ordering 134,500 Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 to be drafted into the Russian army as part of its annual spring recruitment, but Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu , hinted that none of them would be sent to Ukraine. “Most servicemen will undergo professional training in training centers for three to five months,” he said in remarks published on Tuesday. “Let me emphasize that recruits will not be sent to any hot spots.”

Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer representing members of the Russian National Guard who refused orders to travel to Ukraine, said Reuters that under Russian law these conscripts could in fact be sent into combat after several months of training.

The question of sending conscripts to war is politically tense in Russia. Putin claimed in early March that no conscripts were “taking part in hostilities” in Ukraine, but the Defense Ministry said that in fact there were conscripts in Ukraine and that some had been taken prisoner by Ukraine, which which prompted Putin to order military prosecutors to find and indict the officials who had deployed the conscripts against alleged orders.

‘The Russians need more troops’ because ‘their invasion plan with over 55% Russian ground forces has put them in a very difficult position,’ said retired Australian Army major general . Mick Ryan tweeted on Thursday. But even if Putin has every intention of deploying the conscripts, it “will be of little help. It takes time to train soldiers.”

The story continues

Western intelligence estimates that at least 1,000 private soldiers from the Wagner Group have already been deployed in eastern Ukraine, but Ryan said none of this will save Russia from its early miscalculations. “They will obviously use mercenaries and second or third tier forces from elsewhere (like Georgia). We should not expect their military effectiveness to be any better than the “theoretically elite” formations that entered Ukraine on February 24.”

You might also like

Ukraine Ambassador Tells UN ‘Russia’s Demilitarization Is On Track’

Oscars co-host Amy Schumer says she’s ‘triggered and traumatized’ by Will Smith’s slap

Why Conservatives Are So Crazy About Hunter Biden