Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade Destroyed, Reconstituted 8 Times In Ukraine

Naval Infantry is the Russian term for Marines. The 155th Naval Infantry ceased to exist as an operational entity after a series of recent suicidal attacks on Ukrainian positions around Vuhledar in Donbas. 

But that was evidently only the latest of many actions in which the unit was so badly battered that it had to be reconstituted with new conscripts and weapons. Apparently that is preferable creating a new unit, which would require acknowledging it has been eliminated multiple due to poor leadership and tactics. JL

James Bickerton reports in Newsweek:

Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has been "destroyed and reconstituted as many as eight times" since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began. Russian efforts to seize Vuhledar, southwest of Donetsk, (caused) the Brigade to suffer (devastating) "combat losses resulting in no gains due to challenging terrain, lack of combat power, and failure to surprise Ukrainian forces." Earlier in the war, the Brigade, which is based out of the eastern city of Vladivostok as part of Russia's Pacific Fleet, was involved in the unsuccessful attempt to seize Kyiv. It was one of the Russian units accused of committing war crimes against civilians in the towns of Bucha, Irpin, and Gostomel.

Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has been "destroyed and reconstituted as many as eight times" since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, according to a new report.

The claim was made by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington D.C.-based think tank, in its update on the Ukraine conflict published on Friday.

Russian troops are continuing to assault the Donbas town of Bakhmut. They have suffered huge casualties in trying to seize it since August 2022, amidst growing speculation that the Ukrainian military is preparing for a major counter-offensive. 

 

Russian efforts to seize Vuhledar, a small town to the southwest of Donetsk, are also continuing, with the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade involved in the battle. However, according to the ISW, the operation has been sharply criticized by Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, who generally support the war but have sometimes been critical of the tactics used.

"The milbloggers claimed that current Russian tactics against Vuhledar, which include an initial frontal assault followed by assaults against fortified Ukrainian flanks, result in high Russian combat losses resulting in no gains due to challenging terrain, lack of combat power, and failure to surprise Ukrainian forces," the think tank reported.

 

Instead, the bloggers want Russian forces to hit the Ukrainian lines of communication, before attempting to encircle Vuhledar, but "implied that Russian forces are unable to implement these suggestions due to munitions shortages and the failure to take many settlements surrounding Vuhledar."

The ISW update claims the Russian 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has been "destroyed and reconstituted as many as eight times since the start of the war," which has taken place "in large part due to losses sustained during the prolonged effort." 

 

Earlier in the war, the 155^th Naval Infantry Brigade, which is based out of the eastern city of Vladivostok as part of Russia's Pacific Fleet, was involved in the unsuccessful attempt to seize Kyiv. It was one of a number of Russian units accused of committing war crimes against civilians in the towns of Bucha, Irpin, and Gostomel by Ukrainian authorities. All three settlements are situated to the northwest of Kyiv, and were occupied by Russian troops as part of their failed attack on the Ukrainian capital.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment by email.

Earlier this week Igor Girkin, a former Russian military commander who also goes by the name Igor Strelkov, claimed President Putin will likely be "strangled," or forced to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) if Russia loses in Ukraine.

On March 17, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin, who they suspect of war crimes based on the alleged mass forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, from areas that have been occupied by the Kremlin's forces. In response, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, suggested the ICC court in the Netherlands could be targeted with missiles.