The Russian Army has significantly strengthened the border defense with Ukraine - ISW.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russian troops have strengthened the border defense with Ukraine since 2022. Currently, the command of the Russian army is not using conscripts and deserters for border guard duties.

The data was obtained from a Russian military blogger who reported that serious forces of the Russian army were deployed to protect the border. He also noted the formation of a separate grouping to secure the border.

The Institute for the Study of War cannot independently confirm this information.

Additionally, a blogger linked to the Kremlin reported that after the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured a number of settlements in the Kursk region, the number of volunteers in Russia increased.

According to him, in the region of Sudzha, many prisoners are participating in combat actions, including former fighters of the 'Wagner Group'. They are fighting within the framework of the project 'K' from the Russian side, but details of the project were not provided.

According to other information related to the Airborne Forces of Russia, it was reported that the 214th separate special battalion OPFOR has been reformed into a separate airborne assault battalion.

According to the blogger, the OPFOR battalion has been involved in combat actions in Ukraine since 2022 and has undergone several reformations, including after the battles in the Bakhmut direction in 2023. In 2024, the battalion mainly played an informational role and filmed documentaries about its combat operations.