Ukraine conflict: This weapon Russia really fears

Created: 01/19/2022, 09:51

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Although Russia is a great military power, Ukraine is also modernizing its military with new weapons.

© Andriy Dubchak/dpa

Ukraine is increasingly upgrading its army with new military equipment.

One weapon in particular is causing the Russian military great concern.

Kiev/Munich - Ukraine is threatened by another Russian invasion. Since the annexation of Crimea and occupation of areas in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists in 2014, the region has been in conflict. In the background of the massive movement of Russian troops in the border area, Western secret services are assuming that Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin could soon order an attack. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg also fears that the situation will escalate.

The crucial question here is whether Ukraine is militarily ready against a new invasion after the bad experience of 2014.

Although the Russian military is particularly superior in terms of numbers, Ukraine can now also rely on modern weapons thanks to the build-up in recent years.

In addition to anti-tank missiles, another weapon in particular could be fatal to the Russian troops.

It's a weapon no stranger to Russian military hardware.

Russia-Ukraine: Moscow clearly superior militarily - attack from several fronts possible

A look at the numbers from analysts shows the undoubtedly still existing superiority of the Russian armed forces. According to US analysts from the Global Firepower portal, Russia can call on 850,000 soldiers in the event of a conflict. There are also around 250,000 reservists who have plenty of war experience as a result of the numerous conflicts in recent years.

According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, 2,840 tanks are operational in the Russian army.

In addition, there are weapons such as 4,684 howitzers or 150 Iskandar ballistic missiles and 1,160 warplanes.

Not to be forgotten: Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

It is unlikely to be used, but this is also a factor that shows military strength.

In all areas of military equipment, Ukraine is massively inferior.

Also, Russia could attack from multiple fronts, such as Belarus or Crimea, to ease pressure on units in eastern Ukraine's Donbass and put more strain on Ukraine's defenses.

Furthermore, Ukraine's ailing infrastructure would mean slow troop deployment and response against a Russian attack.

Ukraine conflict: Kiev is massively upgrading the army - improvements in the number of troops and military hardware

But the military situation in Ukraine is not that hopeless.

Kiev has not waited idly for Russian aggression, but has continuously improved its army in recent years, undergone new training and, above all, upgraded it with new, modern weapons from allied countries.

Compared to 2014, the military difference to Moscow has become significantly smaller.

According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Ukraine's defense budget increased from 2.5 to over 3 percent of gross domestic product between 2018 and 2020. The troop strength was also massively improved. There are now 196,000 soldiers and 102,000 National Guard troops deployed. In addition, 900,000 reservists are waiting for a possible service.

Although Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the alliance has given Kiev strong support in training and restructuring the armed forces.

Progress was made and tested with joint manoeuvres.

Obsolete weapon systems such as the T-64 main battle tank were modernized and the number of tanks increased to 858.

The US provided $2.5 billion worth of military aid - radar systems, patrol boats and hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles.

Only on Tuesday (December 18) did Britain announce a large shipment of anti-tank missiles to the country.

Ukraine trusts Turkey's "miracle weapon" - Russia concerned about Erdogan's son-in-law's drone

However, Ukraine places special trust in one particular weapon.

It could potentially give the country a major advantage from the air - the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 attack drone.

The drone is manufactured by the Turkish defense company Baykar, whose chief technology officer is 42-year-old Selcuk Bayraktar - also the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The young Selcuk Bayraktar became interested in drones while he was still studying at the US elite university MIT.

In 2005 he presented his first mini drone to the Turkish armed forces.

If he got support, Turkey could become number 1 in drone production, he assured at the time.

His Bayraktar TB2 drone eventually became a bestseller in Turkey and has been exported to 13 countries, including Ukraine. The country was also the first export destination for the Turkish drone. Human rights organizations have accused Turkey of human rights violations with drones, especially in Syria, from time to time, but it was greeted with enthusiasm in Kiev. In Moscow, on the other hand, the delivery to Ukraine set off alarm bells. In several conflicts in which Russia was involved, the Kremlin clearly felt the effectiveness of Turkey's "silver bullet".

In conflicts in Syria, Libya and most recently in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Ankara and Moscow supported opposite sides, the TB2 destroyed dozens of Russian air defense systems. Turkey's state-run Anadolu News Agency released a full 12 minutes of drone footage showing Assad regime units and Russian military hardware being attacked and destroyed with the TB2 on the first day of a large-scale Turkish military operation in Syria's Idlib province. On social media, analysts and journalists have long made fun of the supposedly powerful Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system. Something similar happened in Libya. The Turkish drone also tarnished the image of the Russian military, turning it into a nightmare for the Kremlin.

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone flies at the Gecitkale military base near Famagusta in northern Cyprus in December 2019. © BIROL BEBEK/AFP

Ukraine conflict: Turkey supports Kiev with drones and corvettes - Russian experts skeptical

In the future, the Bayraktar TB2 drones will even be manufactured and repaired directly in the south of Kiev.

For this purpose, Baykar bought a piece of land and is working on setting up a production facility.

Military cooperation with Ukraine is also beneficial for Turkey.

Ankara aims to jointly produce engines for aircraft.

Ukraine is already providing engines for larger Turkish drones like the Akinci - also a Baykar product.

Turkey's support subsequently extended to the naval area, where Ukraine urgently needs supplies. The Turkish armaments industry is currently producing four Ada-type corvettes. They are to be equipped with the most modern weapons from Turkish companies such as Aselsan and to strengthen the Ukrainian navy.

In December 2021, Ukraine's chief of staff, Zaluzhny, said his country wanted to buy 24 more drones from Turkey in addition to the 12 in service. In October of the same year, despite a ban, Ukraine had previously used the TB2 drone and fired on a Russian howitzer. The armistice was violated from the Russian position, it was later said in a statement. In a telephone conversation with Erdogan, Russian ruler Putin expressed his displeasure with the drones. Ukrainian soldiers would carry out provocative actions with these drones, Putin told Erdogan.

Despite the apparently important role, military experts are also skeptical.

Most emphasize that the Bayraktar TB2 will not significantly turn the conflict to Ukraine's advantage.

It is said that it is not sufficient for this.

While the TB2 managed to evade and destroy Russian air defense systems in most cases, Russian military expert Rob Lee told the

: “The Bayraktar TB2 has never encountered integrated air defense like in Russia.

In the event of a war, it will simply be shot down.” Ukrainian experts, on the other hand, drew attention to the important psychological impact and are sure that the drone will cause some suffering to Russian soldiers.