Russia may create new combined arms army to redeploy forces to Kharkiv direction - ISW

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to the spokesman for the Kharkiv group of Ukrainian troops, Colonel Yuriy Povkh, Russia intends to redeploy units of the "9th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Army" from the Kherson region and other unspecified areas to the Kharkiv direction.

In addition, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Khortytsia troop grouping, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, noted that Russian troops intend to move units of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, which belong to the Pacific Fleet, and the 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Army to the Kharkiv direction to compensate for significant Russian losses.

ISW recently observed reports that the Russian military transferred elements of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade and 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Donetsk People's Republic Army Corps) from west and southwest of Donetsk City to the Kharkiv direction but has not observed any reporting on the Russian "51st Army."

"The Ukrainian officials' statements suggest that the Russian military may have subordinated the 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade to the possibly resurrected Second World War-era '51st Army,'" the ISW noted.

In addition, analysts suggest that since the Russian army is currently undergoing large-scale reforms, including the creation of new combined arms army level formations, and Ukrainian sources' references to a "51st Army" may constitute an early indicator that Russia has formed another combined arms army for deployment to Ukraine.

• The deteriorating conditions on the battlefield forced the United States to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied artillery and missile systems to strike Russian territory, thereby helping to disrupt the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region.