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EXPLAINER: Russia’s military woes mount amid Ukraine attacks

FILE - Remains of a destroyed Russian tank are scattered on the ground along the road between Izium and Kharkiv, recently retaken area of Ukraine, on Oct. 3, 2022. Even as Russia has moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, its military has suffered new defeats on the battlefield that have caused new rifts in the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File) FILE - Russian Army recruits hold their weapons during a military training at a firing range in Donetsk People's Republic controlled by Russia-backed separatists, eastern Ukraine, on Oct. 4, 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military has recruited over 200,000 reservists as part of a partial mobilization launched two weeks ago. (AP Photo, File) FILE - Recruits carry ammunition during a military training at a firing range in the Rostov-on-Don region in southern Russia, on Oct. 4, 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military has recruited over 200,000 reservists as part of a partial mobilization launched two weeks ago. (AP Photo, File) FILE - Russian recruits walk to take a train at a railway station in Prudboi, Volgograd region of Russia, on Sept. 29, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilization of reservists to beef up his forces in Ukraine. (AP Photo, File) FILE - A group of Russians walk after crossing the border at Verkhny Lars between Georgia and Russia in Georgia, on Sept. 27, 2022. Long lines of vehicles have formed at a border crossing between Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia after Moscow announced a partial military mobilization. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze, File) FILE - High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is in operation during military exercises at Spilve Airport in Riga, Latvia, on Sept. 26, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov, File) FILE - Ukrainian soldiers sit on an armoured vehicle as they drive on a road between Izium and Lyman, recently retaken areas in Ukraine, on Oct. 4, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File) FILE - Abandoned Russian tanks stand on the road in recently liberated town Kupiansk, Ukraine, on Oct. 1, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) FILE - A man stands in the garage with Russian artillery shells in the recently retaken area of Kamyanka, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) FILE - In this handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sept. 19, 2022, members of a special forces unit of the Russian army aim their weapons in action at an unspecified location in Ukraine. Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new stinging defeats that highlighted its deep problems.(Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) FILE - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, and Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia and First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov listen to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 27, 2022. Russia's military defeats in Ukraine along with the tensions fueled by an ill-planned mobilization and open rifts among the Kremlin insiders have left Putin increasingly cornered. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Lt. Gen. Alexander Lapin, the chief of Russia's Central Military District, left, attend an awarding ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 31, 2018. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, foreground, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Adam Delimkhanov, center, and Chairman of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic Magomed Daudov arrive to attend a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 30, 2022. In an unprecedented sign of infighting in the higher echelons of the government, Kadyrov has scathingly criticized the top military brass, accusing them of incompetence and nepotism. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend the opening of the Army 2022 International Military and Technical Forum in the Patriot Park outside Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 15, 2022. Russia's military defeats in Ukraine along with the tensions fueled by an ill-planned mobilization and open rifts among the Kremlin insiders have left Putin increasingly cornered. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - A Ukrainian soldier holds up the Russian flag to demonstrate at recently retaken area in Izium, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Sept. 13, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo/Kostiantyn Liberov, File) FILE - A Ukrainian soldier passes by a Russian tank damaged in a battle in a just freed territory on the road to Balakleya in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Sept. 11, 2022. Ukraine has successfully pressed its counteroffensive, forcing Russian troops to retreat in several areas of the east and the south. (AP Photo, File) FILE - In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on July 30, 2022, Russian Army soldiers leave a military helicopter during a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new stinging defeats that highlighted its deep problems. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) FILE - This handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Aug. 8, 2022, shows the Russian military's Grad multiple rocket launchers firing rockets at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location. Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new stinging defeats that highlighted its deep problems. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP, File) FILE - In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on July 30, 2022, Tanks of the 2nd Army Corps of the People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic are seen on a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new stinging defeats that highlighted its deep problems. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin looks through a binocular as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and the Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia and First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov, right, sit near him during a military exercising at the training ground "Telemba", about 80 kilometers (50 miles ) north of the city of Chita during the military exercises Vostok 2018 in Eastern Siberia, Russia, on Sept. 13, 2018. Russia's military defeats in Ukraine along with the tensions fueled by an ill-planned mobilization and open rifts among the Kremlin insiders have left Putin increasingly cornered. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) FILE - A Ukrainian tank drives past a former Russian checkpoint in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 16, 2022. Even as Russia has moved to absorb four Ukrainian regions in a sharp escalation of the conflict, its military has suffered new defeats on the battlefield that have caused new rifts in the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) FILE - From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, Denis Pushilin, leader of self-proclaimed of the Donetsk People's Republic and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic pose for a photo during a ceremony to sign the treaties for four regions of Ukraine to join Russia, at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Sept. 30, 2022. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: Russia’s military woes mount amid Ukraine attacks