Ukraine war analyst says Russia keeps surprising him with just how bad its soldiers are: 'The bar is very, very low'

George Barros, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, expressed his astonishment at the ongoing decline in Russian soldier quality. 'I find myself being surprised with the new depths of how poor the Russian individual soldier quality is,' he noted, indicating that each new batch of recruits is increasingly unfit for service. He further remarked, 'It's becoming really difficult for me to see what other additional shortcuts they could take other than maybe deploying just people unfit for service, such as people with disabilities or who are too old.'

The disastrous training of Russian soldiers has been corroborated by various sources including captured soldiers, Ukrainian troops, and Western intelligence. They have all highlighted the perception of Russian troops being poorly trained and treated as disposable, exacerbated by the demands of the ongoing conflict. As noted, the intensity of the war has led to significant casualties among newly mobilized soldiers, many of whom had only a few days of training before engagement in battle.

US intelligence reports indicated that Russia has faced extremely high troop losses, estimating that as of December, 87% of the pre-invasion military has been lost. This situation underscores the alarming decline in military preparedness and effectiveness. With such a staggering reduction in their forces, it's evident that Russia has been depleted of trained personnel, struggling to field an effective fighting force as the conflict drags on.

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