Naval Infantry
Marine brigades committed as ground assault troops, notably in the south.
Broad area of activity
Committed on land across the southern and eastern fronts; most associated with repeated assaults toward Vuhledar in 2022–2023.
Notable history
Russia's marine brigades were committed to the land war from the start and became emblematic of its attritional cost: formations mauled in the failed Vuhledar assaults were reconstituted and recommitted several times. Their employment as ordinary — if higher-priority — mechanised infantry mirrors the VDV's fate: elite labels persisting after the specialised role has gone.
Strengths
Priority for recruitment and refit; retained cohesion through repeated reconstitution.
Limitations
Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, with each cycle diluting experience; committed to some of the war's least favourable assaults.