Russia transfers part of Kuril Islands division to Ukraine

Forbes correspondent Sebastien Roblin writes about it.

Fighters of the 81st Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces together with Omega Special Forces destroyed the enemy's manpower in the battles near Slovyansk in the Donetsk region. Patches with the image of crossed barrels of the Maxim machine gun, which is the symbol of the 18th Machine Gun-Artillery Division of the Russian Armed Forces, were discovered on the dead Russian soldiers.

The main purpose of the group is the defense of the Kuril Islands, which Russia annexed from Japan in the last days of World War II. The fighters perform an exclusively static defense function, and the unit has only about 3,500 servicemen.

The presence of the 18th brigade in the east of Ukraine demonstrates the significant personnel problems of the Russian army. The Kremlin is ready to sacrifice the defense of politically important territories for the sake of building up military capabilities in the war with Ukraine.