Russia is barely training its troops, probably rendering them incapable of going on the offensive, UK intel says

• Russia's lack of training is hindering its troops' ability for successful attacks, the UK MOD said.
• A leading factor is the absence of unit rotations away from the battlefield, it said.
• Russia has struggled to recruit new soldiers since Putin's call-up last fall.

Russia's lack of advanced training has left its troops mostly unable to advance in Ukraine, UK intelligence said on Thursday.

"Higher-level training" had mostly been put on hold since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence said in a daily update.

This had left it struggling in "conducting successful complex offensive operations," per the update — the type of work needed to achieve Russia's aim of conquering Ukraine.