Severe losses force premature withdrawal of Russian 83rd Brigade from Vovchansk
Russian command is prematurely withdrawing the remnants of its battered 83rd Assault Brigade from Vovchansk due to severe losses and deserters, reports influential military blogger “Nikolaevsky Vanek”, who is associated with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
He noted that the deployment of the Russian 83rd Air Assault Brigade to Vovchansk was known approximately three weeks ago. The group was sent to the frontline for "ambitious objectives", particularly to intensify assaults. They became embroiled in urban combat and attempted to encircle the city from the east but met heavy resistance. After three weeks, the entire brigade is being urgently withdrawn to the rear for replenishment due to massive casualties and combat ineffectiveness, the blogger reported.
He elaborated that aside from the casualties, the brigade has a significant number of so-called "five-hundredths", or soldiers who refuse to fight and deserters. It's shocking how quickly an entire brigade was depleted. Incidentally, they are still being targeted as they retreat. “The 83rd Air Assault Brigade, goodbye for now,” - remarked "Nikolaevsky Vanek". He added that at this rate, the same fate is likely to befall the 128th and 138th Russian brigades, parts of which are trapped in an "encirclement" at the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant.
The blogger mentioned that Ukrainian forces, including the 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the 36th Marine Brigade, and other units, are actively targeting Russian troops near Vovchansk. "Our tigers have severely crushed them," he stated.