According to British military sources, the arms and ammunition bottlenecks on the Russian side are having bizarre consequences. In the short daily report, the British Ministry of Defense wrote today that Moscow probably used ordinary field shovels in close combat.
The background for this is the statements of Russian reservists who claimed to have been sent with only “firearms and shovels” to attack a Ukrainian concrete base.
The MPL-50 type field shovel, which is actually an entrenchment tool, commonly used by the Russian armed forces, is considered the subject of a myth in Russia that elevates it to the status of a deadly weapon.
It has barely been developed since its introduction in 1869. Combat use is a sign of low-tech, brutal hand-to-hand combat, which recent indications indicate are becoming more common in Ukraine, the ministry said. The reason is likely that Russia wants to continue to carry out attacks despite the lack of ammunition.