British intelligence believes that the volunteer unit Russia has begun recruiting for operations in the Kursk region will not likely be involved in supporting the Russian army for at least the next month.
According to the British Ministry of Defence's review of the Russian-Ukrainian war dated August 30.
The review analyzed Russia's creation of the volunteer formation BARS-Kursk for "maintaining law and order in the region." Volunteers are promised service only within the region under a six-month contract.
The BARS ("Combat Army Reserve of the Country") units were established in 2021 and initially envisioned as active reserve units with a high level of training and combat readiness.
With the onset of the full-scale war against Ukraine, short-term contracts were allowed for recruitment. These units primarily consist of light infantry without artillery or armored vehicles. Currently, there are about 30 such units in Russia.
British intelligence considers that the recruitment for BARS-Kursk was almost certainly initiated in response to Ukraine's operations in the Kursk region.
