That is according to a latest the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.
"In late February 2023, Russian mobilised reservists described being ordered to assault a Ukrainian concrete strong point armed with only ‘firearms and shovels’. The ‘shovels’ are likely entrenching tools being employed for hand-to-hand combat," the update reads.
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As the U.K. Defense Defense Intelligence explains, "the lethality of the standard-issue MPL-50 entrenching tool is particularly mythologised in Russia. Little changed since it was designed in 1869, its continued use as a weapon highlights the brutal and low-tech fighting which has come to characterise much of the war."
The U.K. Defense Ministry’s update also notes that one of the reservists described being "neither physically, nor mentally" capable of the action.
The UK Defense Intelligence also say, that recent evidence suggests an increase in close combat in Ukraine. "This is probably a result of the Russian command continuing to insist on offensive action largely consisting of dismounted infantry, with less support from artillery fire because Russia is short of munitions," the intelligence update concludes.
As Defense Express reported, the UK Defense Intelligence Trolled russians - Russia Boasted the Arena-E APS But Lost More Than 5,000 Armored Vehicles in Ukraine.
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