Ukraine-Russia War: Russian troops underfunded, equipment sub-par, according to reports

By Peter Aitken

The Russian effort to invade Ukraine appears to have been underfunded and under-equipped to handle the swift takeover that Russian President Vladimir Putin was hoping for.

Russia is "increasingly frustrated" by the lack of momentum in the invasion, particularly in the north of the country, a U.S. official said Saturday. Despite the months of planning and preparation, Russia has yet to achieve air superiority, and Ukraine retains command and control.

And a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin that the Russian military is not moving or fighting at night: Most movement starts just before dawn and occurs during the day because they don’t have night vision and are not trained in night vision, which contributed to slower than expected progress.

Ukrainian servicemen walk by a deactivated Russian military multiple rocket launcher on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Russian troops bore down on Ukraine's capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. ((AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda))

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Ukrainian service members are seen at the site of a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the morning of February 26, 2022, (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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An armored vehicle drives along in Zhuliany neighborhood of Kyiv during Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Part of the issue may be that the Russian troops are conscripts, not highly trained. Many don’t know why they are there, according to the Soldiers’ Mother Committee.

Several days before the invasion, Russian women began posting on social media that their sons, completing mandatory military service in the Russian army, had been sent to the Ukrainian border and, subsequently, had gone silent.

The Land Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Russian troops stopped in Konotop to search for food and fuel after heavy fighting Friday night. The statement advised that locals could supply fuel and sugar but did not provide specific recommendations.

Locals claimed that Russian soldiers tried to buy lard and moonshine "for any money," according to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. The soldiers reportedly said they had no idea where they were, but they were "going to Kyiv."

A video posted by Dutch news outlet Bellingcat executive director Christo Grozev showed a Ukrainian soldier investigating what appears to be an outdated Russian tank used in the invasion.

"This Russian --- is more dilapidated than our own equipment," someone says during the video.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-russian-troops-underfunded-equipment-subpar