Russian elite special forces, including Spetsnaz units, have allegedly suffered extreme casualties during their missions in Ukraine, compromising the Kremlin’s long-term special operations capability, according to The National Interest. Spetsnaz, Russia’s premier special operations force, was deployed in the earliest stages of the invasion with orders to undertake high-stakes missions, such as targeting Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv. This assault included an attempted capture of Hostomel Airport near Kyiv by Russian paratroopers, while Spetsnaz commandos reportedly sought to “neutralize” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials.

Confirmed by Ukrainian authorities. A large air assault operation with Mi-8 helicopters on Antonov International Airport in Hostomel. Interior Ministry says Russia has seized control. Very dangerous; it’s just 15 minutes west of the capital ring road. pic.twitter.com/JhlyVktVRC

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022

However, the Kremlin’s plan to remove Ukraine’s command structure quickly faltered, resulting in significant losses among Spetsnaz forces. According to the BBC and U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) estimates, heavy attrition in Ukraine has impacted several Spetsnaz brigades. By late summer 2022, four out of five deployed Spetsnaz brigades had sustained crippling losses, with one brigade reporting only 125 active personnel out of an initial force of 900. A DIA report classified the unit’s near 90% combat loss as unsustainable, noting that units with such severe depletion are typically pulled from active combat documents further detail the strategic losses faced by the Russian military, revealing that Ukraine’s September 2022 counteroffensive heavily impacted the Spetsnaz.