Russia is planning to deploy opera singers and circus performers to the front lines of the war in Ukraine in a bid to boost flagging morale, according to British defense officials.
As the war in Ukraine nears its 10th month, Russia's Ministry of Defense announced the creation of the "front-line creative bridge" earlier this week.
In a post on Telegram, the ministry said that it was formed to "support our soldiers in the special operation zone" and that it would include vocalists and musicians.
In its intelligence update on Sunday, the U.K. Ministry of Defense noted that it comes as "fragile morale almost certainly continues to be a significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force."
Officials said in the update that the new brigade will also include opera singers, actors and circus performers, citing Russian media reports.
It noted that it follows a recent campaign that called on the public to donate musical instruments to deployed soldiers.
"Military music and organised entertainment for deployed troops have a long history in many militaries but in Russia they are strongly intertwined with the Soviet-era concept of ideological political education," the update said.
However, it also said the entertainment will likely not be enough to alleviate the concerns of soldiers.
"Soldiers' concerns primarily focus on very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems, lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war's objectives," the update said. "The creative brigades' efforts are unlikely to substantively alleviate these concerns."
Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly recently visited Russian troops on the front line.
In a statement posted on Telegram on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Shoigu "flew around the deployment areas and inspected the forward positions of Russian units in the area of the special military operation."
Shoigu "interacted with Russian servicemen" and "thanked them for their exemplary performance in combat missions," the statement added. It was not immediately clear if Shoigu entered Ukraine or when the visit took place.
It comes as intense fighting continues around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Russia's push for the city shows Moscow has "overestimated" the strength of its forces, a Ukrainian commander told Newsweek this week.
"This standoff over Bakhmut is really telling, because it shows how the Russians overestimated their own strength," Roman Kostenko said.
"The picture of an unstoppable force [President Vladimir Putin] tried to project at the start of the invasion has been overshadowed by the reality of a weak and unmotivated military."
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