Russian units that escaped from Bakhmut have already been defeated twice in Kharkiv and Kherson regions, - ISW
The 72nd Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade of the Russian Federation, whose units were defeated near Bakhmut by Ukrainian defenders from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, had previously suffered two crushing defeats in Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
As reported by Censor.NET with reference to UP, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
"The problems with the combat capability of the Russian military, which are exacerbated by the constant attacks in the Bakhmut area, are likely to significantly limit the ability of Russian forces in the area to defend themselves against localized Ukrainian counterattacks.
The 72nd Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade of the Russian Federation is itself a symbol of many of the problems that the Russian military is constantly facing," the report says.
As noted in the report, on 7 August 2022, ISW analysts reported that the 72nd Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade was being formed in the Orenburg region of the Russian Federation as part of the 3rd Army Corps, a new formation consisting mainly of volunteer battalions.
It is noted that in September 2022, the media reported that the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian Federation had deployed to the Kharkiv region and that the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region had largely destroyed the corps' components. Among them, the report notes was probably the 72nd Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade.
ISW also recalled that Ukrainian media suggested that after the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, the surviving elements of the 72nd Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade were probably redeployed to Mykolaiv region, where they suffered losses during Ukraine's southern counter-offensive in October 2022.
ISW cannot confirm the exact location of the brigade's units. The institute also cannot confirm where the 72nd Brigade was redeployed after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the western bank of the Dnipro River. However, the analysts noted that it is very likely that the elements of the 72nd Brigade that were recently redeployed to the Bakhmut area are not operating at full strength.
"The Russian military command's deployment of elements of a unit that has suffered two consecutive defeats in the Bakhmut sector, along with already depleted Wagner elements, is likely to provide Ukrainian forces with capabilities that they can exploit in limited counterattacks," the report says.
