The special forces of Russia, which the Kremlin actively deployed to the frontline and tasked with critical operations, had effectively lost a significant portion of their personnel by the end of summer 2022.
According to the American publication The National Interest, all five brigades of Russian special forces mobilized for combat operations in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, except for one, suffered losses that rendered them unfit for combat tasks. Specifically, during the Ukrainian counteroffensive that began in the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian armed forces forced the Russian special forces to abandon their positions and switch to defense, resulting in even greater losses for the enemy.
"According to the estimates of the Intelligence Directorate, one of the separate special forces brigades retained only 125 personnel from an original strength of 900. From a military perspective, a unit that has lost nearly 90% of its combat effectiveness is considered ineffective and is withdrawn from the front line," experts note.
Analysts suggest that to this day, a significant portion of Russia's special forces continues to lose its combat capability. The National Interest publication points out that the Russian army is forced to expend considerable resources daily to replenish the ranks of regular military units, but replacing special forces personnel quickly is nearly impossible. Years are required for special forces training, and continuous losses at the front make the recovery of these elite units almost unfeasible.
Source: nationalinterest