Ukraine war: Russia to deploy musicians to front to boost morale
Russia will deploy musicians to the front lines of its war in Ukraine to provide "moral and psychological support" to its soldiers.
In an intelligence briefing on Sunday, the UK Defense Ministry said Moscow announced the formation of the "front-line creative brigade" on 14 December, saying it would include both vocalists and musicians, BBC reported.
"Fragile morale almost certainly continues to be a significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force," the UK ministry said.
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"The creative brigades' efforts are unlikely to substantively alleviate these concerns," the statement concluded.
The UK said the new creative brigade - which follows a recent campaign, urging the public to donate musical instruments to troops - is in keeping with the historic use of "military music and organised entertainment" to boost morale.
The brigade will consist of troops mobilised under President Vladimir Putin's recruitment drive, as well as "professional artists who voluntarily entered military service", BBC reported, citing Russian outlet RBC news.
The new unit will be tasked with maintaining "a high moral, political, and psychological state [among] the participants of the special military operation," RBC news cited the Russian defence ministry as saying.
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the country's troops involved in Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing the Russian defence ministry.
"The head of the Russian military flew around the areas of deployment of troops and checked the advanced positions of Russian units in the zone of the special military operation," the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
