Russia Only Has 80% Of Ukrainian Invasion Force Left For Combat

Russia has “just above 80%” of the combat power that it amassed before its invasion of Ukraine still available, according to a senior US defense official, Michael Conte reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: An aerial shot of destroyed and abandoned Russian tanks

Moreover, the same official revealed that Russia has launched more than 1,540 missiles against Ukraine but has lost hundreds of tanks, fighting vehicles, and missile batteries to Ukrainian forces that employed guerrilla tactics against thinly-spread Russian forces. Nearly 19,000 Russians have died in the invasion launched by Moscow on Feb. 24, 2022.

“We would assess that Russian assessed available combat power — and again I want to remind you guys that that’s of the combat power that they’ve preassembled before their invasion — we estimate that they’re just above 80% in terms of what’s left of them,” the official said Tuesday during an off-camera briefing with reporters.

In a related development, the media outlet Ukrainian Truth reported late on April 11, 2022 that the Institute for War Studies (ISW) said Russia does not have enough resources to succeed in Donbas in the near future.

"We estimate that over the next few months it will be difficult for the Russian military to assemble significant combat capability from mechanized units for the Donbas operation. Russia is likely to continue to launch heavily damaged and partially regrouped units into the offensive," ISW elaborated. On the eve of the invasion, Russia deployed about 120 battalion tactical groups around Ukraine.

An unnamed European official quoted by CNN said about a quarter of these forces are "virtually incapable" after heavy losses and the destruction of their equipment. ISW said the US defense officials "unintentionally exaggerated the current capabilities of the Russian military to fight."

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