NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE: Assessing the Russian Army’s Performance So Far. “Accounting for approximately a third of the Russian military force, conscripts are prohibited from serving abroad. However, in an attempt to fully man units deploying to the Ukrainian border, it appears that Russian officials fraudulently signed up conscripts as “kontraktniki,” or contract soldiers, which made them legally available to deploy outside the Russian Federation. With conscripts spread throughout the invasion force, this may be the first real visibility at how the Russian Army operates en masse compared to smaller expeditionary operations like Syria. This includes poor convoy procedures, vehicles breaking down or running out of fuel, and soldiers reportedly surrendering or damaging their vehicles to avoid combat. While this indicates an inadequate level of the individual soldier and small unit training, it may also indicate a morale issue among the junior officers responsible for leading these small units. This may help explain the lack of initiative, dearth of tactical proficiency, and low morale observed in combat arms and transportation units.”