The commander of Russia’s airborne troops is facing calls for his firing amid evidence that a newly formed division in his command suffered “exceptionally heavy losses” and failed to achieve its objective during its combat debut in Ukraine, according to a Western intelligence assessment.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said in the assessment circulated Thursday that Russian military bloggers — some of whom have the ear of President Vladimir Putin — are demanding the resignation of Col. Gen. Mikhail Teplinsky, who currently heads the Russian military’s “Dnipro Group of Forces” in Ukraine.

The demands come in the wake of an early December battlefield failure of Russia’s 104th Guards Airborne Division while fighting in Eastern Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast, according to the British assessment posted on the social media platform X.

“This is a blow to Teplinsky’s reputation as one of the more capable Russian field commanders of the war,” the assessment said.

The 104th Guards Airborne Division operation in question took place after the division joined Russia’s Dnipro Group and failed to dislodge a newly established Ukrainian military bridgehead near the village of Krynky on the east bank of the Dnipro River.

The division “was reportedly poorly supported by airpower and artillery, while many of the troops were highly inexperienced,” British officials said.

In August 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans to reestablish the 104th Guards Airborne Division, which had been downsized to a smaller, brigade-sized formation in 1998.

Following the division’s reestablishment, British intelligence analysts predicted the division would likely be poorly trained and unable to meet the “elite” standards of other Russian airborne forces.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.