Kremlin struggles to motivate forces - MOD
Russia is likely increasingly struggling to motivate auxiliary forces, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The MOD said Russian commanders are likely resorting to direct financial incentives, while adding that some combat units are deemed too unreliable for offensive operations.
The intelligence update read: “Russia is likely increasingly struggling to motivate the auxiliary forces it is using to augment its regular troops in the Donbas. Commanders are probably resorting to direct financial incentives, while some combat units are deemed unreliable for offensive operations.
"A consistent contributing factor to these problems is Russia’s classification of the war as a ‘special military operation’, which limits the state’s powers of legal coercion.”
The MOD also said footage from last week that showed soldiers of a prorussian Luhansk People’s Republic refusing to fight.
The update said: “On August 15, 2022, Ukrainian social media channels circulated a video which reportedly showed elements from a military unit of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) delivering a declaration outlining their refusal to be deployed as part of offensive operations.”
On Sunday there were widespread fears in the West that Russia could encourage its ally Serbia into an armed intervention in northern Kosovo that would further destabilise the Balkans.
The president of Serbia has called on Nato to “do their job” in Kosovo or he says Serbia itself will move to protect its minority in the breakaway province.