Russia's Elite Airborne Suffers 'Exceptionally Heavy Losses': UK 

It was "highly likely" a division of Russia's airborne forces "suffered exceptionally heavy losses" during combat against Ukraine's military in early December, according to British intelligence officials.

In a Thursday update of the war in Ukraine, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MOD) wrote that the recently-created 104th Guards Airborne Division of Russia's Airborne Forces (VDV) "failed to achieve its objectives" in Kherson Oblast in what is believed to be the division's first battlefield operation.

The losing effort by the VDV paratroopers, who are often referred to as being the most elite Russian fighters, reportedly occurred near the small village of Krynky on the east bank of the Dnieper River.

Krynky and the surrounding area have been the site of intense fighting in recent weeks, and Kyiv announced last month that its forces had established a beachhead on the bank in what war observers called an important strategic victory against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces.

The MOD wrote that the costly operation involving the VDV's 104th Guards "took place after the division joined Russia's Dnieper Group of Forces and its attempt to dislodge the Ukrainian bridgehead near the village of Krynky on the east bank of the Dnieper."

The British intelligence update attributed the division's lack of success to it being "reportedly poorly supported by airpower and artillery, while many of the troops were highly likely inexperienced."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Thursday for comment.

The MOD added that the lopsided loss has caused Russian military bloggers to call on Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, who serves as the commander of Russian forces in the Dnieper, to resign.

Teplinsky had only recently moved into the commander role in Dnieper. According to the Russian state-run news agency Tass, he was appointed commander of the region's forces in late October. Teplinsky was put in charge of the VDV in June 2022.

In April, the British MOD said he had been removed from a different senior position in Ukraine only to be later reinstated. The MOD wrote at the time that Teplinsky is "likely one of the few senior Russian generals widely respected by the rank-and-file."

The Thursday assessment from the MOD said the defeat in Kherson likely damaged Teplinsky's standing.

"This is a blow to Teplinsky's reputation as one of the more capable Russian field commanders of the war: in his routine role he is also commanding general of the VDV," the MOD wrote.

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