Elite Russian special forces suffered catastrophic losses in Ukraine, writes The National Interest.
Some units of Russia's Special Operations Forces have lost 90% of their personnel. According to the publication, the Kremlin assigned these units the most important tasks – in particular, the liquidation of the Ukrainian military and political leadership. But they were also used on the front line.
Russian special forces are noted to have suffered significant losses, particularly during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2022.
Because elite forces are indispensable in the short term, Moscow may need up to a decade to restore its special forces to pre-war capacity. This is a critical setback for Russia's strategic special operations capabilities.
Russian special forces usually have the best weapons and equipment in the entire Russian army. The war in Ukraine is the biggest conflict Russia has been involved in since World War II. As such, the Kremlin has thrown everything it has into the fight, including its elite forces.
After the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a group of elite Russian forces were sent on a mission to kill the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin wanted to decapitate the Ukrainian command and control structure at the most critical point of the conflict and create chaos in its adversary. The attempt to remove Zelensky and the Ukrainian leadership failed.
According to secret Pentagon reports, four of Russia's five elite special forces brigades in Ukraine have suffered massive losses. One of the brigades in question sent 900 of its units to Ukraine, of which only 125 were unharmed.
In 2022, the first year of full-scale war, Russian special forces were effectively defeated in Ukraine. Especially during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in September 2022. The 3rd Guards Special Forces Brigade of the GRU, one of Russia's most elite units, was caught in the retreat and had to lead a defensive action in the city of Liman. It was broken there.
The Russian military has even used special forces to attack Ukrainian trenches, a task normally reserved for regular infantry.
In all, Russian forces have lost almost 700,000 people in the fighting so far, and the casualties continue to pile up every day at an alarming rate.
One of the main differences between special operations and conventional units is the training and qualifications of their troops. Moscow will not be able to recreate this capability anytime soon. In fact, in leaked classified documents, the Pentagon estimates that it will take Russia up to ten years to rebuild its special operations capabilities.