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1 1 (June 5, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govelwh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con gressionaI Research Sern/c informing hej lgsaive debt m sne 19IS14 Updated June 5, 2023 Ukrainian Military Performance and Outlook Since Russia launched its renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have successfully defended against and pushed back Russian forces in many regions, despite several apparent disadvantages. The UAF has demonstrated flexibility over the course of the conflict to date, as well as an ability to integrate Western security assistance and training in its military campaigns. The UAF continues to face obstacles sustaining momentum against Russian forces, however. Ukraine's resistance has come with losses in personnel and equipment, and sustainment will be an ongoing consideration. Since early 2022, the Biden Administration and Congress have firmly supported Ukraine's defense of its territorial integrity against Russia's invasion. The UAF's evolving condition may be of interest to Congress as Members continue to weigh options and conduct oversight over policies to support Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression. Personnel Some observers note that the UAF's impressive overall performance to date has been in part due to high levels of recruitment and motivation. High losses, however, pose a continued challenge to the UAF's ability to maintain effective, sustained operations. After Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the UAF gained important combat experience fighting Russian-led forces in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk (known as the Donbas). This led to a large proportion of trained and experienced veterans among Ukraine's population. These veterans and other volunteers (including foreign recruits) were quickly mobilized into Ukraine's new volunteer Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) and Reserve without the need for lengthy training. The high ratio of trained and experienced recruits meant they were able to operate artillery, tank, and support systems that traditionally require more time to master. These units have been crucial in supporting regular UAF units and enabling them to spearhead operations and counteroffensives. Since the beginning of the 2022 war, the UAF reportedly has suffered high levels of casualties, lowering force quality. Losses are likely higher among regular UAF and Special Forces units, leading to a greater reliance on TDF and Reserve units. Many of these TDF and Reserve units also have sustained heavy casualties, further increasing the ratio of mobilized personnel to regenerate forces. Unlike in the initial period of the war, when most recruits were veterans, at present most new recruits have little military experience and, as a result, take longer to train. The UAF faces two major hurdles to training and deploying new personnel. First, at the time of the invasion, Ukraine did not have a fully developed professional noncommissioned officer (NCO) corps, which it previously had been seeking to develop along NATO standards. The UAF continued to face issues with retention, professional development, and funding. As described above, a high proportion of trained veterans, many with combat experience, mitigated to some degree the need for an established NCO corps to train and command new recruits. Losses among those veterans have increased the importance of developing a professional NCO corps and affected unit- level capability. Second, the UAF's need for immediate reinforcements creates pressure to deploy troops with only basic training. To sustain combat operations in the current conflict, however, the UAF continues to balance the time to train personnel on conducting complex operations and operating advanced weaponry with ensuring sufficient personnel are deployed at the front line. Equipment To date, the UAF has sustained significant equipment losses. Some UAF units appear to be operating without mechanized or motorized vehicle support, likely due to losses and limited replacements. Despite losses, Western security assistance and UAF resilience in repairing and maintaining equipment has been crucial to UAF successes. Ukrainian officials have emphasized a need for long-range rocket and artillery systems to counter Russia's quantitative and qualitative advantages in long-range fire. At the start of the war, Ukraine still relied on Soviet and Russian 122mm and 152mm caliber rocket and artillery systems, and ammunition and replacement parts have become scarce. Western provision of artillery, rocket artillery, and ammunition has been crucial in sustaining UAF operations. The UAF's access to materials, components, and ammunition to operate and repair Soviet- and Russian-era equipment has been a source of concern. Although some Central and Eastern European defense industries are compatible with Soviet and early Russian equipment, these sources are insufficient to meet Ukraine's needs. Additionally, Russian forces have targeted Ukraine's domestic defense industry, affecting its ability to produce and maintain equipment (including ammunition and complex weapon systems). Ukraine's air force and air defenses thus far have proven effective in limiting Russian air superiority. Russia retains air superiority in certain regions, however, and continues to target Ukrainian air defenses.

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