That’s according to the latest the U.K. Defense Intelligence report, tweeted on March 12.

Read also: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar

Ethnic minorities often bear the brunt of the Russian military’s meat-grinder fighting tactics, according to the report. In Astrakhan, for example, about 75% of the casualties come from the city’s Kazakh and Tatar minorities.

Meanwhile, the populations of Russia’s richest cities – Moscow and St. Petersburg ­– remain relatively untouched by the carnage in Ukraine. This is especially true for the Kremlin elite.

Read also: Russia loses up to 30,000 invaders while trying to take Bakhmut, says Western intel

UK intelligence analysed the families of Russian top officials visible in the first two rows of the audience during the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's speech on state of the nation. None of their children are known to serve in the army.

Read also: Front line in Bakhmut now marked by local river — UK intelligence

As the Russian Ministry of Defense tries to address the issue of a constant shortage of combat personnel, the isolation of the well-off and more influential part of Russian society from military problems is likely to remain a major consideration, UK intelligence concluded.

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