Russia has lost a record amount of what Ukraine has called "special equipment," or the less flashy but still vital assets that prop up Moscow's war machine, according to new statistics from Kyiv's military.
Russia lost another four units of such equipment in the past day, the Ukrainian military said in an operational update on Wednesday. Updated figures from Kyiv show Russia has now lost 1,452 units of "special equipment" in more than 23 months of grueling warfare.
On January 1, this figure stood at 1,277, putting January's losses at 175 units of "special equipment."
This is higher than any monthly losses reported by the Ukrainian military throughout 2023. The highest reported monthly losses of Russian "special equipment" were in July 2023, when Russia lost 135 units, according to the Ukraine's armed forces.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
An innocuous, catch-all term, the mounting losses of Russia's "special equipment" have gone largely unnoticed. But Ukraine is targeting the equipment that keeps Russia's military running behind the front lines, enabling it to sustain the simultaneous offensives Moscow has launched.
It includes Russia's electronic warfare systems and radars, experts say, as well as engineering equipment like mine-clearing vehicles. It will also cover Russia's support and maintenance vehicles needed to keep other assets, like tanks and armored vehicles, functioning.
"The Ukrainian forces hunt such equipment," former Ukrainian colonel Serhiy Hrabsky told Newsweek.
This type of equipment doesn't feature individually in the Ukrainian military's daily breakdown of Russian losses, but still needs to be counted, Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of War Studies at King's College London told Newsweek.
In recent months, an increasing number of reports have emerged from Ukraine, suggesting Kyiv is successfully targeting equipment like Russian radar systems. It is "very important" for Ukrainian fighters to knock out this type of asset, and Kyiv will continue its efforts to eliminate them, Ivan Stupak, a former Ukrainian security service officer who now advises Ukraine's security, defense and intelligence parliamentary committee, told Newsweek in November.
Hunting "special equipment" like radars helps keep Russia guessing about exactly where along the front lines Ukraine is pooling resources or hoping to bear down on Russian defenses. It also helps shield Ukraine's assets, like jets, drones or troops, when conducting reconnaissance or going after Russian equipment or bases behind the front lines, James Black, assistant director of the Defense and Security research group at the European branch of the RAND think tank, previously told Newsweek.
Taking out the Kremlin's electronic warfare systems, radars, logistics and maintenance vehicles will help to undermine Moscow's front-line forces that are now working to advance in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.
The head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, told Ukrainian media on Tuesday that Russia is hoping to reach the Zherebets River, close to the Kharkiv and Luhansk borders, its forces gradually working westward.
The assault on the Kharkiv and Luhansk front lines come after months of costly clashes around the Donetsk town of Avdiivka. Russia has been attacking the front-line town since early October, slowly encircling the Ukrainian stronghold.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
