Given Survival Odds, Russian Officers Increasingly Avoid Front, Overstaff Rear Units

Aware of the scale of the growing Russian losses in Ukraine - and of their own diminished chances for survival, Russian officers are increasingly avoiding deployment to frontline combat units and are seeking assignment to rear area or reserve units, many of which are already overstaffed. 

This revelation from internal documents prepared by the commander of Russia's southern military district, which borders much of Ukraine, suggests that the officer corps is well aware of the futility of the war and are seeking to avoid becoming victims. JL

Demian Shevko reports in New Voice of Ukraine:

Russian officers, aware of the scale of Russian losses in Ukraine, are increasingly avoiding frontline combat by retreating to rear units, a trend that has become widespread. 45% of Russian officers assigned to reserve units within its Southern Military District have no grounds to serve in rear positions. “Documents signed by the chief of staff of Russia's Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Zusko, show 900 officers were unjustifiably reassigned to rear areas.” Of those 900, at least 200 were placed in units already fully staffed. Some of those officers have since deserted. This mass withdrawal from the front, disguised as rear deployments, indicates deep demoralization and a leadership crisis within the Russian command."

Russian officers are increasingly avoiding frontline combat by retreating to rear units — a trend that Ukrainian intelligence says has become widespread. The claim was made by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on June 20.

According to intelligence data, more than 45% of Russian officers assigned to reserve units within Russia’s Southern Military District have no legal grounds to serve in rear positions.

“Documents signed by the chief of staff of the Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Mykhailo Zusko, show that over 900 officers were unjustifiably reassigned to rear areas,” the HUR reported.

 

Of those 900 officers, at least 200 were placed in units that were already fully staffed, and in some cases, those officers have since deserted, Ukrainian intelligence said.

“This mass withdrawal from the front, disguised as formal rear deployments, indicates deep demoralization and a leadership crisis within the Russian command structure,” the agency added.

HUR noted that Russian officers are desperately trying to avoid frontline combat, fully aware of the scale of Russian losses and the high likelihood that they too will be eliminated by Ukrainian forces.

As of the morning of June 20, Russia had lost about 1,009,330 soldiers killed or wounded since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian losses over the past 24 hours alone totaled 1,090 personnel.

Background on Russia’s military losses in Ukraine

On April 18, BBC News Russian reported that despite back-channel negotiations between Russia and the U.S. over a possible ceasefire, Moscow’s losses on the battlefield have not decreased — and in fact are growing.

According to a May 3 assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia continues to generate enough forces to absorb heavy losses without reducing its operational pressure along any front.

On June 12, Ukraine’s Kraken special forces unit said that the millionth Russian invader killed was identified as naval infantryman Serhiy Mashanenkov.