Elite Russian Unit Decimated In Eastern Ukraine

Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has absorbed heavy losses while fighting in Ukraine. Considered to be an "elite" unit, the brigade has been degraded, Western intelligence says, Jake Epstein reported for Business Insider.

Photo Insert: It's the latest high-profile Russian unit to see a high number of causalities on the battlefield.

It's the latest high-profile Russian unit to see a high number of causalities on the battlefield.

An "elite" Russian military unit may not be as tough as it once was because its top troops are suffering heavy losses on the battlefield and getting replaced by inexperienced fighters likely only further degrading its capability, Western intelligence says.

In an update, the British defense ministry said satellite imagery from February 9 showed 10 destroyed Russian armored vehicles traveling near the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, one of several fronts where Moscow's troops appear to be pursuing advances.

Britain said the destroyed armor was "likely" part of the 155th, which has not been deployed as one large formation but rather as individual units assigned to various ground forces.

The unit has been forced to undertake "some of the toughest tactical missions in the war and has suffered extremely high casualties," the intelligence update said. Russian forces near Vuhledar mainly consist of fighters from the 155th, and a majority of these are newly mobilized soldiers.

A Ukrainian official previously said the 155th's heavy losses will force the brigade to restaff for a third time, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank.

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