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Britain’s ministry of defence said that due to “low morale” and “reluctance to fight”, the Russian forces have probably started deploying units threatening to shoot their own retreating soldiers.
The report by the ministry mentioned an intelligence report, which was released early this morning, referred to these Russian units as “barrier troops” or “blocking units” used to compel offensives.
The UK ministry of defence said in a statement: “Recently, Russian generals likely wanted their commanders to use weapons against deserters, including possibly authorising shooting to kill such defaulters after a warning had been given.”
“Generals also likely wanted to maintain defensive positions to the death. The tactic of shooting deserters likely attests to the low quality, low morale and indiscipline of Russian forces,” it added.
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The United Kingdom has also blamed Russia for trying to maximise civilian hardships over winter. Neil Bush, who is the UK’s Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), condemned Russia’s missile attacks targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, and the impact on human lives.
In UK’s statement to the OSCE on Thursday, Bush said that millions across Ukraine faced power outages and in some cities and they lost water supply, in some cities including Kyiv, Dnipro and Zhytomyr.
He noted: “These have direct human costs. According to the head of the Kyiv regional hospital, all surgeries were cancelled, as surgeons could not sterilise their theatres or tools.”
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