The Russian Federation throws reserves from the front to the Belgorod region: in ISW ​​reacted

According to analysts, the Kremlin admits some reputational losses associated with the raids of volunteers in border areas. At the same time, Moscow saves resources to continue the fighting in Ukraine. On March 20, the Bloomberg Information Agency, citing an anonymous source, reported that the emergence of the Russian Volunteer Corps and other formations in the Belgorod region forces the Russian military leadership to send forces from the forefront to this region. ISW did not find such statements.

This was reported in the summary of the Institute of War Study of March 21. It is unclear what forces the sources of Bloomberg mention, analysts write. Russian troops report that paratroopers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation reflected recent raids in the Kursk region, and the units of the 2nd Brigade of Special Forces reflected from new raids in the Belgorod region.

Officials of the Russian Federation stated that the military, the FSB border guards and Rosgvardi staff repelled the recent raids in the Russian Federation, and Chechnya Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya Kadyrov, stated that Akhmat's battalion units were opposed to raids from Kharkiv region. Russia has used these forces to protect against raids in June 2023. According to ISW, the Kremlin needs a balance.

RF leadership allows some reputational losses associated with RDC raids and a slight effect of them. At the same time, it saves military resources for use in Ukraine. The Kremlin's reputational losses from the raids in the border in 2024 were not as large in 2024 as in 2023, through censorship. Recall that Russian troops form a "strategic reserve" to support a massive offensive.