Ukrainian military observer Oleksandr Kovalenko reports on his Telegram channel.
Some might say that minus 4,000 in a month with such numbers is nothing, but it is not. It is important to understand how this number was formed and at the expense of what, the initial grouping of 180,000 has grown to 470,000.
The fact is that the Russian military grouping in Ukraine has been growing relentlessly over the past two years. Almost every month it did not decrease, but increased by 5,000, 10,000, 20,000. It grew not only due to stable compensation for losses, but also due to additional sending of personnel to the combat zone.
For a long time, in numerical terms, this is the first case of such a reduction.
There was also a reduction in the mechanized component during the month, especially in the number of armored vehicles and artillery. During the month, the number of Russia's AFVs was reduced by 200 units, and artillery systems by almost 600 guns!
This is happening both with a working military-industrial complex and constant supplies of equipment, as well as mobilization processes that promptly solve the issue of human losses, the expert underscores.
Apparently, some mechanisms in this well-oiled system of compensation for losses and capacity building have begun to fail. February 2024 will be the first month in a long time that the command of the occupying Russian army will end with a "minus", Kovalenko concludes.