Russian troops stationed near the Finnish border are involved in the attack on Ukraine. According to scattered data from the fighting, they have also suffered some losses.
A significant number of Russian troops normally stationed in Finland’s neighboring areas have been transferred to Ukraine, said the Commander of the Defense Forces, General Timo Kivinen on Monday at the opening of the national defense course.
At least the 200th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 61st Marine Corps Brigade stationed in the Petsamo area will take part in the war. Troops have also been sent to Ukraine from the 138th Motorized Infantry Brigade on the Karelian isthmus near Vyborg.
Troop concentrations following site (you will switch to another service) according to the battle units of the 200th and 138th Brigades were first stationed near Kursk. Since then, they attacked across the border towards Kharkov and got into fierce fighting there.
Losses to the Petsamo brigade
According to Ukrainian allegations, parts of the 200th Brigade that left Petsamo have suffered heavy losses. Ukrainians say they have seized six T-80BVM tanks and 30 vehicles from the Arctic Brigade, including a rocket launcher. In addition, vehicles have been destroyed.
The T-80BVM is a newer model and designed specifically for Arctic forces.
The chain of the Norwegian tweeter @Northern_Sentry says that the first combat unit of the 200th Brigade that went to Ukraine would have been almost completely destroyed and that the battalion commander would have been imprisoned. There are said to be many deaths.
The chain also talks about the losses of other Russian troops and the fact that the wounded have been flown to Murmansk. The events were apparently signaled by a Russian soldier from Belgorod on the Russian side.
The actual total loss of the brigade is unknown. According to some reports, parts of the 200th Brigade also appear to have attacked the Sumy region and eastward Kiev in the first week of the war.
The Combat Division of the 25th Separate Infantry Brigade also appears to have suffered heavy losses in the direction of Kharkov, according to the source said above. The brigade is stationed south of St. Petersburg.
This defunct Tunguska anti-aircraft armor appears to have been the equipment of the 200th Brigade.
Parts of the 138th Brigade leaving Kamenka near Vyborg have also attacked in the direction of Kharkov. Little is known about the fate of these forces in open sources – perhaps the somek discipline of the forces is tougher. Some soldiers from the 138th Brigade are said to have been imprisoned at Kharkov.
Also in the following video, the Tunguska anti-aircraft armor near Kharkov has been abandoned. It is said to have been the equipment of the 138th Brigade.
The battalion commander crashed
The 61st Marine Corps Brigade, located in the Petsamo area of Sputnik, has been considered one of the best troops in Russia. According to the Barents Observer, large parts of it were transported in December by three landing craft to the Black Sea.
The stopping of ships on that voyage in the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad led Sweden to increase its military readiness.
It is speculated that the Marines would be used to land in Odessa or elsewhere on the Ukrainian coast. There have been many days of such events.
Parts of the 61st Brigade have apparently also been involved in the fighting in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian army said the commander of the 61st Brigade Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov was killed on Sunday.
Hard spots for landing forces
The 76th landing division in Pskov, close to the Estonian border, can also be included in Finland’s neighboring areas. Its troops have been involved in fierce fighting around Kiev.
Data on landing force losses are as uncertain and impossible to confirm as for others. However, a twitter account following Russian ground troops claims that at least 200 soldiers have been brought to Pskov from Ukraine in a crash.
Commander of the 104th Regiment of the Division, Colonel Yuri Agarkov would have been one of them.
Parts of the 76th Landing Division have apparently been involved both in the Battle of Bashan on the west side of Kiev and in the battles of Hostomel, or Antonov Airport, on the outskirts of Kiev.
In Butcha, Ukrainian forces destroyed a very close formation of the Russian column.
Airport takeover failed
The Russians attacked Hostomel Airport on helicopters on the first day of the war. The intention was to take over the field northwest of Kiev and thereby bring in more landing troops from Pskov for the conquest of the capital.
However, the Ukrainians counterattacked and 18 transporters leaving Pskov had to turn back. The field has been fought for several days and the Russians have not been allowed to bring in additional troops.
In the following video, according to the Ukrainians, the armored vehicles of the landing forces were destroyed in Hostomel. The video is from Sunday.
Russia’s 76th Landing Division is said to have suffered significant losses in the fighting between Hostomel and another, Vasylkiv airport, but no details are available on their magnitude. Nor has the allegation of the shooting down of two Iljushi Il-76 transport aircraft by the landing forces been substantiated.
All the troops in our neighborhood still fighting in Ukraine have been there before, since 2014, when Russia launched a war in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s 80th separate motorized infantry brigade, located at the height of Salla in Alakurt, is not known to be involved in the war in Ukraine. The brigade is the second Russian Arctic brigade.