Russian conscripts were sent to the front with “guns and shovels” and ordered to attack “the strong Ukrainian defences”.
This is stated in the UK Ministry of Defense’s progress report on the state of the war.
The ministry says the shovels are likely intended for close-in use.
These are shovels designed in 1869 and have not changed much since. The ministry says they are used in “brutal non-technical combat”.
The ministry says a Russian draftee said he was “neither physically nor mentally prepared for conflict in Ukraine”.
The ministry also says there appears to be an increase in close quarters fighting on the front lines and this could be due to Russia’s lack of military equipment.
