As of: February 15, 2024, 5:26 a.m
By: Helmi Krappitz
Comments
Press
Split
Russia is resorting to old Soviet war tactics in the Ukraine war, observers say.
However, there has been no breakthrough so far.
Moscow – Armed forces on the front lines of the Ukraine war have been stalled for weeks – on both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
Now Russia should rely on an old Soviet fighting theory in order to get moving again and avoid further high casualties.
So far, however, the Soviet tactics have not achieved any new successes for the Kremlin.
Soviet tactics: Russia relies on strategy from the 1920s and 30s
The Soviet deep-battle theory should enable Russian forces to break through Ukrainian defenses, writes the US think tank
Institute for the Study of War
(ISW) in its latest report.
The experts refer to information from Ukrainian military observer Kostyantin Mashovets.
The Soviet military doctrine of “deep operations” dates back to the 1920s and 30s, according to the
ISW
.
The strategy is to attack enemy positions simultaneously in their width and depth.
For this purpose, offensive operations with artillery, air strikes and attacks in the hinterland against enemy positions should be coordinated and carried out simultaneously.
If successful, further strikes are planned so that the Ukrainian positions cannot regroup for defense.
Soviet war tactics are intended to bring movement back into the Ukraine war.
(Symbolic image) © picture alliance/dpa/XinHua |
Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr
The element of surprise is missing: Russian troops will probably find it difficult to implement Soviet tactics
According to analysts, Vladimir Putin's military plans to restore maneuverability using the Soviet strategy.
However, the Russian troops are currently having difficulty implementing the strategy - the Ukrainian forces are successfully countering.
The ISW also doubts the current success of such a “deep operation”.
The Kremlin troops are currently unable to produce effective counterfire.
In addition, the old Soviet strategy relied on the element of surprise.
However, Russian armed forces cannot currently conceal their troop concentrations.
“Mashovets explained that the Russian military command is failing to implement certain technological innovations in operational planning, including remote mine laying, large-scale drone operations, command and control, and communications using modern technology,” the
ISW
also writes.
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Old Soviet tactics: Russia could break through the front line with effective planning
Russia still has a slight advantage due to fire superiority, the report continues.
The ISW assumes that the Russian military could break through Ukrainian defense lines if it effectively planned and carried out deep combat operations.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian troops could also benefit from the Soviet deep strategy and fuel the counteroffensive again.
The prerequisite is that Western supporters provide the Ukrainian armed forces with appropriate resources.
“Pretty tense”: Russian troops attack across the entire front
In the meantime, Ukraine has moved from an offensive to a defensive posture, Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyj told
ZDF
.
Russian troops would attack along the entire front line, the situation was “difficult” and “quite tense”.
Ukraine's goal is now to exhaust the enemy's troops.
(hk)