It was best weapon, best equipment, bestsoldiers. And his task was to protect the Russian military arsenal in the Arctic, in Pechenga, where Vladimir Putin placed nuclear weapons and submarines capable of transporting them. The importance of the 200th (two hundredth) separate motorized rifle brigade was obvious. And so it became obvious to send her to Ukraine. They were on their way before February 24, the date of the invasion, to participate in winter exercises, the Kremlin claimed.
Now an American newspaper investigation Washington Post, who had access to confidential documents of the brigade, realizes that it was practically put out by the Ukrainian army. “It cannot be considered a fighting force,” the European military defended, justifying his claims with an overwhelming number of casualties on the battlefield.
According to the investigation, which leads the captured soldiers, it was in January that two tactical battalions of the brigade went to Ukraine by train. It was not until 3:00 am on February 24 that an officer informed them that the mission would eventually include “shooting.” The destination was Kharkiv, a Ukrainian city that had been the scene of fierce fighting since the first day of the war. The resistance of the Ukrainians turned out to be stronger than the Russians expected, and immediately several units were attacked and ambushed.
In just one day, dozens of soldiers were killed. and much of the equipment is destroyed or abandoned. The history of the 200th brigade is not unique, and since the beginning of the war there have been more reports of the complete disappearance of battalions, like 31st Air Assault Brigade, or, more recently, recruit battalion.
Last May, according to documents the Washington Post had access to, the unit was already in trouble. On the 13th of the same month, the Ukrainian military managed to stop the Russians who were trying to surround the city, forcing them to cross the border, returning to Russian territory, towards Belgorod. There, the troop count showed that almost half of the troops were either dead or missing.
In addition, morale was low, Pekka Toveri, a Finnish official, told the newspaper. “They are there are soldiers who refuse to fight, missing soldiers. It shows us that the war is going incredibly badly for Russia.”
Since May, when the forces were already 60% complete, losses continued to accumulate. Elite soldiers, according to the Post, have been replaced by conscripts. without proper military training. The most modern equipment, such as modern T-80BVM tanks, has disappeared.
In July, near Grakovo, they again suffered heavy losses, and in September, the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade was on the list of losers during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkov region.
“The branch is in a state of disrepair.” The phrase of a soldier taken to the battlefield by partial mobilization by order of the President of Russia. He was placed in the 200th brigade, and the conditions there are not at all the same as in the elite troops. They wear “painted 1941-style helmets and vests without plates,” he said, adding that they don’t even have military training. “They say: “You are a shooter, here is a machine gun.”
For Ukrainians, brigade status is a medal they proudly wear on their chests. “What do you know about them?” – asked Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, who fought in Kharkov as part of the 200th brigade. “They run very well.”
