According to the ministry's daily intelligence update, two Russian soldiers were sentenced on August 25 to at least two years in a penal colony for defying orders to return to the Ukrainian front.
This follows a report from Russian news service Mediazona in July stating that nearly 100 Russian soldiers a week were being convicted for refusing to fight. If the trend continues, the annual number of such convictions could reach around 5,200.
'Poor state of morale in Russian army'
"The high rate of convictions demonstrates the poor state of morale in the Russian Army and the reluctance of some elements to fight," the British defense ministry assessed.
"Refusal to fight likely reflects the lack of training, motivation and high stress situations Russian forces face along the entire Ukrainian frontline," it added.
While the report highlights a series of defections and high attrition rates among Russian forces, it also notes that Russia seems to be compensating for these losses by dispatching a large number of poorly trained troops to the frontlines.
Since the partial mobilization of its military in September 2022, Russia has modified its approach to warfare and is now relying on massing forces in both offensive and defensive operations, the ministry added.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP