UK intel: Russia forming new army corps in northwest near Finnish, Estonian borders
As Russia builds the 44th Army Corps close to Finland and the Baltic nations, British intelligence says it remains to be seen if the formation will be left to garrison there or rapidly sent to join Russia's Ukraine invasion like previous newly-formed units.
The UK Defense Ministry reported that Russia’s establishment of the 44th Army Corps in Luga under the Leningrad Military District highlights Moscow’s difficulties in building up wider forces while sustaining large-scale combat operations in Ukraine.
Recently, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Russia, having enlisted hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers, would establish two new armies and 30 formations, comprising 14 divisions and 16 brigades.
The UK Defense Ministry wrote:
• Recruiting adverts have been posted for the new 44th Army Corps in Luga, in the newly-established Leningrad Military District. Russia is making efforts to expand its forces in the north-west of the country, as most of its forces remain dedicated to operations in Ukraine.
• Russia will almost certainly have to decide whether new units such as the 44th Army Corps remain in their garrison locations once established, or if they are transferred to operations in Ukraine to maintain combat power there. Newly established units have previously been immediately committed to Ukraine, and it is almost certain that the need to sustain operations is hampering Russia’s wider force expansion ambitions.
Read also:
- British intel: Russia unable to fully protect energy facilities from attacks
- UK intel: Ukraine ramps up defensive fortifications across front lines
- UK intel: Russia boosts military output in 2023, will have materiel edge over Ukraine in 2024
- UK intel: Two A-50 AWACS aircraft downed in two months show Russia’s difficulty securing air assets
