Short of Soldiers, Russia Forced To Deploy Aerospace Force Troops To Defend Kursk

Russia's pathetic efforts to stem the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk increasingly smack of desperation. 

Apparently short of infantry, paratroopers and other combat soldiers, Russia has now deployed Aerospace Forces troops to try to hold back the Ukrainians. These aerospace troops are usually engineers, mechanics and other specialists train to service bombers and missiles, but are now being given rifles and sent to fight as infantry, a role for which they have no training, equipment and likely, aptitude or incentive. JL

Stanislav Pohorilov reports in Ukraine Pravda:

Due to a manpower shortage, the Russian command has sent soldiers from its Aerospace Forces, including from nuclear warning stations and squadrons of heavy bombers, to motorised rifle units defending Kursk Oblast. The "aerospace infantry' units consist of engineers, mechanics, soldiers from guard companies, and a few flight crew officers. They come from various airfields: Ukrainka in the Altai Krai, Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast, and Engels in Saratov Oblast. Heavy Tu-22M or Tu-95 bombers are stationed at each of these airbases

Due to a manpower shortage, the Russian command has sent in soldiers from the Russian Aerospace Forces who were assigned to motorised rifle units to defend Kursk Oblast, according to a source cited by the Vazhnie Istorii media outlet.

Source: Vazhnie Istorii (Important Stories) media outlet, founded by investi.gative journalists from Russia, citing open source data 

Quote: "The ‘aerospace infantry’ was deployed to defend Kursk Oblast. Due to the lack of personnel in the motorised rifle units, they took soldiers from the Russian Aerospace Forces units, including these from nuclear warning stations and squadrons of heavy bombers."

Details: According to reports, Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) soldiers formed a motorised rifle regiment in May or June as a border cover group. Mid-July was when the VKS infantry landed in the border territories, many weeks ahead of Ukraine’s Armed Forces offensive.

The publication's source stated that the unit consisted of engineers, mechanics, soldiers from the guard company, and a few flight crew officers.

They were assigned to infantry units, coming from various airfields: Ukrainka in the Altai Krai, Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast, and Engels in Saratov Oblast. Heavy Tu-22M or Tu-95 bombers are stationed at each of these airbases, from which missiles are fired into Ukrainian cities.

 

On this very day, 22-year-old VKS Sergeant Vyacheslav Bondarenko, who had been transferred from the heavy bomber air base in Amur Oblast, sustained injuries.

Background: Ukraine's operation in Kursk Oblast illustrates how Ukrainian forces can use manoeuvre warfare to compensate for Russia's superiority in manpower and equipment, writes the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).