A Ukrainian infantryman with the 28th Brigade takes cover in a partially dug trench along the frontline facing Russian troops 250 metres away.
Russian troops are being sent into battle in Ukraine armed with shovels, according to UK officials.
One reservist described being “neither physically nor psychologically” prepared for the brutality of arm-to-arm combat, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
In their latest intelligence update, the MoD said at the end of February, Russian mobilised reservists were “ordered to assault a Ukrainian concrete strong point armed with only ‘firearms and shovels’”.
They said the shovels were likely MPL-50 “entrenching tools being employed for hand-to-hand combat”.
A Russian MPL-50 shovel for sale on ebay
The MoD said: “Little changed since it was designed in 1869, its continued use as a weapon highlights the brutal and low-tech fighting which has come to characterise much of the war.
“One of the reservists described being ‘neither physically nor psychologically’ prepared for the action.”
There has been an increase in “close combat” fighting in Ukraine, the MoD said.
“This is probably a result of the Russian command continuing to insist on offensive action largely consisting of dismounted infantry, with less support from artillery fire because Russia is short of munitions,” they added.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 5 March 2023
<img src="https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-loaded/v1/KXb3BdaEXIJq5Bdi14Fb4Hn9ye8UNv30" border=0 width="1" height="1" alt="The morning read for Tuesday, April 29" title="The morning read for Tuesday, April 29"> <p>We’re expecting one or more opinions from the court this morning at 10 a.m. EDT. Join us for the <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/announcement-of-opinions-for-tuesday-december-5-2/">live blog</a>. The court will then hear oral argument in <em><a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/martin-v-united-states-2/">Martin v. U.S.</a></em>, the case of an Atlanta couple whose home was mistakenly raided by an FBI SWAT team. They now ask the justices to decide whether they can sue the federal government for the error. In <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/laboratory-corporation-of-america-holdings-v-davis/"><em>Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis</em></a>, the court will consider whether it is appropriate for a federal court to certify a class action for a class that includes plaintiffs who did not suffer any cognizable injury.</p> <p>Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/29/supreme-court-fbi-raid-wrong-house-liability/">Supreme Court asks: Can FBI be held liable for raiding the wrong house?</a> (Ann E. Marimow, The Washington Post)</li> <li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-considers-lawsuit-arising-wrong-house-fbi-raid-rcna200461">Supreme Court considers lawsuit arising from ‘wrong house’ FBI raid</a> (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)</li> <li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/29/g-s1-62787/supreme-court-law-enforcement-raid">Supreme Court weighs whether law enforcement can be held accountable for raid on wrong house</a> (Christina Gatti, NPR)</li> <li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-fight-may-shape-trumps-ability-fire-fed-chair-2025-04-29/">US Supreme Court fight may shape Trump’s ability to fire Fed chair</a> (John Kruzel, Reuters)</li> <li><a href="https://legalytics.substack.com/p/the-bench-barometer-ranking-the-supreme">The Bench Barometer: Ranking the Supreme Court’s Best Oral Advocates from the 2024 Term’s First Sitting</a> (Adam Feldman, Legalytics) </li>
</ul> <p><strong>Coming up</strong>: On Wednesday, April 30, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. Well be live at 9:45 a.m. EDT.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/the-morning-read-for-thursday-april-24-2-2-2/">The morning read for Tuesday, April 29</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com">SCOTUSblog</a>.</p>
A Ukrainian infantryman with the 28th Brigade takes cover in a partially dug trench along the frontline facing Russian troops 250 metres away.
A Russian MPL-50 shovel for sale on ebay
