Elements of russia’s new 25th Combined Arms Army (25 CAA) have highly likely deployed to Ukraine for the first time. The formation is likely focused on Luhansk region in the north-east of the country, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
As recently as August 2023, recruitment adverts for 25 CAA claimed it would only deploy to Ukraine from December 2023.
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It is likely that units have been rushed into action early partly because russia continues to grapple with an over-stretched force along the front and Ukraine continues its counter-offensive on three different axes. However, there is also a realistic possibility that russia will attempt to use parts of 25 CAA to regenerate an uncommitted reserve force in the theatre to provide commanders with more operational flexibility.
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