Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. It's a rare acknowledgment of the flaws in the Russian military's capabilities revealed by the war. In one sense, this was predictable. It's time to retire outdated stereotypes about the Russian military: As the possibility of an escalated Russian war in Ukraine looms larger and larger, a noted strategist and historian took to social media to argue Moscow's forces could be handily repelled by little hit-and-run warfare by Ukrainian civilians-at-arms. [64]https://twitter.com/666_mancer/status/1630478324215455745;https://t.me [65]https://t.me/grey_zone/17471;https://t.me/concordgroup_official/528; [66]https://www.fontanka dot ru/2023/02/27/72090578/; https://t.me/astrapress/21942. https://twitter.com/fdov21/status/1630339835058593794;https://t.me/y https://www.facebook.com/watch/president.gov.ua/;https://suspilnedot. It isnt a good army executing outdated or out-of-context tactics. We wanted to talk more now about the kind of war Russia is waging on Ukraine. Absolutely hilarious to watch. [39], Russian forces did not conduct any confirmed ground attacks in western Donetsk Oblast on February 28. [78]The images do not show any obvious damage to the aircraft fuselage but do seemingly show color differences on the aircrafts wings and radar dome, potentially indicating repainting. Amid the ongoing war in Eastern Europe, the Institute for the Study of But they are advancing on winding roads and their flanks and supply routes are overly exposed to Ukrainian attacks.. The Patriot air defence is outdated. During a trip through the Eastern European countries that fear they could next face Mr. Putins military, General Milley has consistently been asked the same questions. And what's their - and why do they do it? His careful response, before reporters in Estonia: Weve seen a large, combined-arms, multi-axis invasion of the second-largest country in Europe, Ukraine, by Russian air, ground, special forces, intelligence forces, he said, before describing some of the bombardment brought by Russia and his concern over its indiscriminate firing on civilians. Even the best armies take a while to get going. And it appears to keep happening, with Russian forces unable to avoid the mines. What we consider before using anonymous sources. It is just one of many aging T-62s deployed by the Russians in Ukraine, many of which have either been Thomas Bullock, an open source analyst from Janes, the defense intelligence firm, said Russian forces have made tactical errors that the Ukrainians have been able to capitalize on. [49]Humenyuk reported that Ukrainian forces do not shell residential areas or critical infrastructure in southern Ukraine and strike Russian forces ensuring that local residents will not be affected. Ukrainian Polohy Mayor Yuriy Konovalenko reported that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian force concentration area in the southern part of Polohy, Zaporizhia Oblast, on February 27. One reason for this is that junior officers are not allowed to take initiative. Economic collapse and corruption resulted in dysfunctions ranging from And remember, the Pentagon is also attempting to devote most of its military efforts to counter China in the Pacific. In addition to tens of thousands of civilian deaths, the Russian military, interior ministry, and police forces suffered 7,000 deaths, hardly supporting the notion Russia is unable to tolerate casualties. Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA, an Arlington, Virginiabased think tank, who has been following the battle closely, tweeted late Sunday afternoon, Its taken me a while to figure out what [the Russian military is] trying to do, because it looks so ridiculous and incompetent. B.A. In total, russia has only 6 A-50Us and 3 Right now, Ukrainian forces at Vuhledar are outnumbered when it comes to armor the first Leopard tanks donated by Poland arrived in Ukraine on Friday but the last two weeks have shown its mines are enough to hold back Russian tanks, at least for now. So I think this idea of the laws of war, although a noble and important concept, in reality, it's rather difficult to see how that occurs in the 21st century. Send me updates about Slate special offers. After their initial invasion last year failed to take Kyiv, Russian forces pulled back, mining roads and fields. [2]The apparent uptick in fallacious biochemical and nuclear false flag warnings accompanies a concerted Russian false flag information operation accusing Ukraine of preparing for an invasion of Russian-occupied Transnistria, Moldova. [5]https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-ass [6]https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-does-not-see-significant-near-term-r https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvmwk4/pentagon-putin-nukes-ukraine. What are you thinking of? However, this change may have no real impact, as present mobilization law prohibits contract soldiers from quitting even after their contracts expire. [34]Geolocated footage posted on February 27 shows Ukrainian troops striking Wagner positions near Ivanivske (5km west of Bakhmut), and a Russian milblogger claimed that Russian troops continue assaults towards Ivanviske itself. MARTIN: There are reports now that mercenary groups may be getting involved in support of Russia. The Kremlin spent the last 20 years trying to modernize its military, said Andrei V. Kozyrev, the foreign minister for Russia under Boris Yeltsin, in a post on Twitter. A Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces in the region of Luhansk on Saturday. Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. If it's not going to be the United Nations, which has - many think has been AWOL for the last 30 years, then who is - you know, who's going to be enforcing that? While the shortcomings of Russia's one-year conscripts are real, they now constitute a large minority, not the majority of Russia's military. [30]The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on Bakhmut itself; north of Bakhmut near Dubovo-Vasylivka (6km northwest), Orikhovo-Vasylivka (10km northwest), Berkhkivka (4km north), Yahidne (1km northwest), Vasyukivka (13km northwest), and Bohdanivka (8km northwest); west of Bakhmut near Chasiv Yar (10km west); and southwest of Bakhmut near Bila Hora (15km southwest). Wagner Group-affiliated media outletRIAFANposted footage on February 27 and 28 showing Wagner fighters walking around northern Bakhmut near the Stupky railway station and Sady Bakhmuta garden store, indicating that Wagner has advanced in northern Bakhmut. They are mercenaries. Potemkin military.. https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0dDf2w34VWwwcuYqnxSQ https://t.me/wargonzo/11149;https://www.understandingwar.org/backgroun https://t.me/btr80/5171;https://twitter.com/auditor_ya/status/16305795 https://twitter.com/EjShahid/status/1630263342756515840, https://t.me/boris_rozhin/79250;https://t.me/sashakots/38680. Russian Forces Deploying Outdated Military Equipment In Ukraine To 'replace Losses': ISW The ISW in its latest report claimed that Russian officials have been taking over the governmental positions in the captured parts of Ukraine. When adjusting for purchasing power, this may multiply effective defense spending by at least a factor of three. [43]Russian forces have conducted infrequent localized attacks in Zaporizhia Oblast in recent months but have not conducted any meaningful offensive activity in Kherson Oblast since withdrawing from the west (right) bank of the Dnipro River in November 2022. After days of miscalculation about Ukraines resolve to fight, Russian forces are turning toward an old pattern of opening fire on cities and mounting sieges. And the Russians, mercenaries and the troll factory work hand in hand. Russia Is Still Using 60-Year-Old Tanks in Ukraine. So what - and I'm going to ask you to explain, you know, what that means, but when you look at what's happening in Ukraine right now, tell me what you see. Whats their motivation for telling us? By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The extension of Russian prosecution efforts and Armenian cooperation are both significant events, though it is noteworthy that Russia and Armenia have an existing extradition treaty. Only 64% of Russian military equipment and machinery is new or recent. And the reason why Russia likes mercenaries, particularly this one group called the Wagner Group, is because they give the Kremlin great plausible deniability. Clickhereto see ISWs interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is deliberate; its part of the top-down command system dating back to Soviet times, if not earlier. As part of that conflict, he is posting photos of dead Wagner soldiers in Bakhmut, giving a glimpse at how severe Russian losses are in the battle. NOW WATCH: Russia just introduced a new missile nicknamed 'Satan 2' here's a look at their other formidable weapon systems, fragging" unpopular officers with grenades, humiliating destruction of Russian armored columns, doctrinal and technical innovations in the Soviet military. Russias attempts at an offensive near Vuhledar, as much of the fighting in the Donbas region turned into an effective standstill, with neither side able to break through. Some troops have crossed the border with MREs (meals ready to eat) I mean, are they Russian nationals? But this doesnt mean they will win in the long run. Claim: According to a February 2023 video message, U.S. President Joe Biden had invoked the Selective Service Act, which will draft 20-year-olds through lottery to the military as a result of a [28], Ukrainian forces continue to target Russian concentration areas in the rear of Luhansk Oblast. Chaotic destructiveness can only go so far. Earlier this week, Ukraine said Russia In part this is due to the valiant resistance of Ukraines army and civilian defense forces. In the 21st century, Moscow must make do with a smaller, more professional military, and one that's better at keeping highly trained personnel alive. Russia's disastrous First Chechen War revealed the shocking decay of Russia's military from its Soviet-era peak. In total, russia has only 6 A-50Us and 3 outdated A-50s. Adaily email update of the stories you need to read right now. The result is that Ukraine, using Javelin anti-tank missiles, has stalled the convoy headed for Kyiv by blowing up tank after tank. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). Skeptics like to point out Russia's gross-domestic product is in the same ballpark as Italy's. Meanwhile, in wars in Syria and Ukraine, the Russian military has preferred to "outsource" to local auxiliaries, mercenaries, and proxies the manning of defensive positions and more casualty-intensive close-quarters combat missions. WebAnswer (1 of 21): Yes. With a range of around 600 miles, the T-72 weighs 40 tons and gets less than one mile per gallon. We utterly condemn these Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict, Geneva Conventions, and humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports. Please try again. Russia has advanced fighter planes, a formidable navy and marines capable of multiple amphibious landings, as they proved early in the invasion when they launched from the Black Sea and headed toward the city of Mariupol. WebPutin hints that Russia's weapons are outdated, saying it needs to modernize its military hardware. Russia opened its invasion with a page from the superpower playbook as written by the United States and its allies in the 1991 Gulf War. [1] The Russian MoD relatedly claimed on February 19 that Ukrainian officials are planning false-flag attacks at hazardous radiation facilities in Ukraine to accuse Russian forces of indiscriminately striking such sites. Russias equipment problem is just as difficult to solve. The larger issue is that it's mistaken to assume stereotypes about the Russian and Soviet militaries from the World Wars, the Cold War or the Yeltsin years necessarily remain true today. [65], Some Russians continue limited resistance to the war in Ukraine. Putin's admission is a remarkable reversal from his comments in August, when he bragged to foreign allies at a military forum that Russia's weapons are "cutting edge" and "decades ahead" of their foreign counterparts. Russian soldiers have to be looking at this and saying, What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?. Another old pattern repeating itself in Ukraine is the Russian armys reliance on heavy guns. ISW has previously reported on the correlation between Russian information operations and battlefield realities, particularly when Russian forces are failing to take significant ground in offensive operations in Ukraine. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily. I mean, I'm thinking of disinformation tactics. None of this should be overstated. Depends on which standards the word outdated is based. By Hollywood standards, its certainly mostly outdated, there are even personnel wearing 1 So how do we enforce it? [44]Humenyuk stated that Ukrainian forces immediately locate Russian artillery units on the Kinburn Spit once they fire and that these Russian units do not have enough time to evacuate the area before Ukrainian forces conduct counterbattery fire. MCFATE: Basically, it's anything that doesn't look like World War II is sort of, like, what that means, or sneaky warfare. [37]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0dDf2w34VWwwcuYqnxSQ [38]https://t.me/wargonzo/11149;https://t.me/readovkanews/53706, [39]https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=133231762743931. Most of all, Russia has exposed to its European neighbors and American rivals gaps in its military strategy that can be exploited in future battles. Others have reportedly been found knocking on village doors for food or, in one case, asking a local police station for fuel. You've written extensively about these groups. This is reflected in the Ground Force's preferred ad-hoc fighting formation, the Battalion Tactical Group, which combines infantry and tank companies with an unusually large quantity of artillery. While procuring new aircraft, the VKS retired over a thousand Putin seems to be following a manual out of the last century, not this one. A 2020 CSIS article, for example, counts 260,000 conscript soldiers and 410,000 contract soldiers, the latter paid an average of 62,000 rubles per month. The force employment is completely irrational, preparations for a real war near nonexistent and morale incredibly low because troops were clearly not told they would be sent into this fight.. Published Feb 25, 2023 3:07 PM EST. Stay up to date with what you want to know. [3]Russian President Vladimir Putin also notably re-introduced nuclear rhetoric into the Russian information space during his address to the Russian Federal Assembly on February 21 when he announced Russias intent to suspend participation in START. [54]Armenian officials have not yet publicly commented on the potential to extradite Kamensky to Russia. He is a veteran, a former private military contractor and more recently an author. [3]Russian President Vladimir Putin also notably re-introduced nuclear rhetoric into the Russian information space during his address to the Russian Federal Assembly on February 21 when he announced Russias intent to suspend participation in START. He is a veteran, a former private military contractor and author of "The New Rules Of War." I'm not talking to anybody on the streets. An early example is the re-introduction of outdated T-62 tanks to Russian service. [2]The apparent uptick in fallacious biochemical and nuclear false flag warnings accompanies a concerted Russian false flag information operation accusing Ukraine of preparing for an invasion of Russian-occupied Transnistria, Moldova. The A-50 AWACS was created by the Beriev Design Bureau on the basis of the IL-76 military transport aircraft in 1978-1985. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. [5]The Russian MoD and top Russian officials will likely escalate their engagement with such information operations as the ongoing Russian offensive in Luhansk Oblast nears culmination and the opportunities for Ukrainian counter-offensives grow. Can you explain, you know, what they are and how they would operate in this campaign? [35]Footage taken by a Ukrainian soldier in Chasiv Yar shows heavy incoming fire directed at the settlement, suggesting that Russian forces are continuing to strike areas along the T0504 Kostiantynivka-Chasiv Yar-Bakhmut highway. As a result, Wagner should be considered a proxy organization of the Russian state rather than a private company selling services on the The way the Russians have advanced, which is that they have stuck to main roads so that they can move quickly, not risk of getting bogged down in mud. We encountered an issue signing you up. The Ukrainian General Staff amplified on February 28 a report from Ukraines Head of the Center for Trophy Research, Colonel Alexander Zaruba, assessing that Russian purchases of equipment from North Korea and Iran and deployment of outdated Kh-22 missiles indicate that Russia itself cannot meet wartime production needs. They are joined, or are about to be joined, by Belarusian troops and Chechen special forces. Residents of Mykolaiv worked to repair a captured Russian tank on Sunday. Heightened tensions with Russia have given new life to some enduring myths about Russia's military. They created this fog of war and used it all these sneaky ways. Russian independent media outlets also reported on February 27 that Russian courts extended the sentence of a Moscow resident previously sentenced for an arson attack on a military commissariat and sentenced a Volgograd resident to four years in prison for setting fire to the back room of a military registration and enlistment office on These events suggest that there is a decline in the Russian militarys commitment to continue the war. The Russian military is about twenty years behind, compared to Western powers. In everything that they do. https://twitter.com/666_mancer/status/1630478324215455745;https://t.me https://t.me/grey_zone/17471;https://t.me/concordgroup_official/528; https://t.me/vladlentatarsky/19653;https://t.me/SergeyKolyasnikov/4666 https://t.me/astrapress/21972;https://t.me/sotaproject/54572, https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/481;https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/480. Sign up for notifications from Insider! [21]US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns stated on February 25 that the CIA is confident that Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment to Russia. News reports, tweets, videos, and emails from the battlefields show Russias armored vehicles abandoned for lack of fuel, its soldiers foraging for food, its transport planes shot out of the sky, its various military elementstanks, infantry, aircraftunable to coordinate their aims. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. https://twitter.com/EliotHiggins/status/1630535360735334400;https://tw https://twitter.com/GianlucaMezzo/status/1630577307260690435?s=20, https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1630453726304518144, Donetsk Battle Map Draft February 28, 2023.png, Kharkiv Battle Map Draft February 28, 2023.png, Zaporizhia Battle Map Draft February 28, 2023.png, Kherson-Mykolaiv Battle Map Draft February 28, 2023.png, Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 28, 2023.pdf, Russian Main EffortEastern Ukraine (comprised of two subordinate main efforts), Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircle northern Donetsk Oblast, Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts. [30]https://twitter.com/fdov21/status/1630339835058593794;https://t.me/y [31]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0dDf2w34VWwwcuYqnxSQ [32]https://www.facebook.com/watch/president.gov.ua/;https://suspilnedot media/399023-na-bahmutskomu-napramku-frontu-situacia-uskladnuetsa-zelenskij/;https://suspilnedot media/399485-oleksandr-sirskij-rozpoviv-pro-situaciu-v-bahmuti/. Real impact, as present mobilization law prohibits contract soldiers from quitting even after their contracts expire command! This text may not be in its final form and may be getting involved in support Russia. Updated or revised in the future right now a factor of three decay of Russia would operate in campaign! Of Russian military is about twenty years behind, compared to western powers revealed by the war Ukraine. 'S their - and why do they do it via Getty Images ) on heavy guns some enduring myths Russia... 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To avoid the mines to date with what you want to know Soviet-era.. Latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily be,! Kyiv, Russian forces pulled back, mining roads and fields stay up date. May be getting involved in support of Russia 's disastrous First Chechen war revealed the shocking decay of 's! Latest in military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily 64 of! Point out Russia 's disastrous First Chechen war revealed the shocking decay of Russia 's gross-domestic product is in same! This change may have no real impact, as present mobilization law prohibits contract soldiers from even! 6 A-50Us and 3 outdated A-50s at www.npr.org for further information use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further.!