Russia has lately redeployed major elements of its airborne forces to Eastern Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry said in its latest Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine. The ministry said the forces were likely redeployed to the Donetsk and Luhansk fronts in the Donbas. Between September and October, most of the VDV units were dedicated to the defense of Russian-held territory west of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Some weakened VDV units have likely been reinforced with mobilized reservists. The Russian airborne forces are considered an elite unit, a separate branch of the armed forces. At the beginning of the war against Ukraine nine months ago, the troops were supposed to take over Kyiv with the support of ground forces, but they were confronted.