Russia is believed to have lost almost 1,000 tanks in its war with Ukraine, a senior US defense official said Thursday. But a dissection of the Russian militarys performance so far, compiled from interviews with two dozen American, NATO and Ukrainian officials, paints a portrait of young, inexperienced conscripted soldiers who have not been empowered to make on-the-spot decisions, and a noncommissioned officer corps that isnt allowed to make decisions either. To be sure, most military experts say that Russia will eventually subdue Ukraines army. Friedman, a military historian and tactician, went further: This isnt a good army executing a bad plan. 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. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on February 28 that Russian officials are open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine but that Ukraine and the West must recognize new territorial realities associated with Russias illegal annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine. Moscows forces are likely to step up the kind of broader attacks that have led to rising numbers of civilian deaths. These factors still leave Russia at a deficit compared to US spending, but a much smaller one than decontextualized budget figures imply. Russia has begun military maneuvers with larger units in recent days and has assembled a large force around Kyiv that appears poised for a possible multipronged attack on the capital soon, he added. Having the Ukrainians just wreck your airborne units, elite Russian units, has to be devastating for Russian morale, said Frederick W. Kagan, an expert on the Russian military who leads the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Russia remains keen to play down the war and provides little information about its victories or defeats, contributing to an incomplete picture. One reason for this is that junior officers are not allowed to take initiative. The new Russian playbook keeps tanks and infantry outside direct-fire range until the big guns and rockets have done most of the killing. The Kremlin is likely attempting to reintroduce a Russian information operation aimed at falsely portraying Russia as being open to negotiations while the collective West refuses to negotiate. Yet, in this invasion, Russian tanks are rolling all on their own or providing protection for reconnaissance scouts, but getting no protection for themselves. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily. But its also due to the fact that the Russian army just isnt very good. Putins invasion has rallied Ukrainian nationalism, stiffened the Wests spine, and sent his own economy into a tailspin. [29], Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2Donetsk Oblast(Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russias proxies in Donbas), Russian forces continued ground attacks near Bakhmut and made tactical gains within Bakhmut on February 28. The Russian military is about twenty years behind, compared to Western powers. In everything that they do. In the fall, after losing swaths of land in Ukraines east, Russia tried to take the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, three hours south from Vuhledar. Russian forces attacked residential neighborhoods of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, with artillery on Monday. By Helene Cooper,Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes, CONSTANTA, Romania When it comes to war, generals say that mass matters.. Whats their motivation for telling us? [27]Russian milbloggers claimed that elements of the 254th Motorized Rifle Regiment (144th Motorized Rifle Division, 20th Combined Arms Army, Western Military District) fought near Kreminna. MCFATE: Basically, it's anything that doesn't look like World War II is sort of, like, what that means, or sneaky warfare. [74]Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on February 27 that Russias forced deportation of Ukrainian children is probably the largest forced deportation in modern history and a genocidal crime. Serbia has shown interest in French jets since 2022 in the hopes of replacing outdated Soviet MIGs. [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. Putin lauded the FSB for its direct participation in the war in non-standard field tasks such as protection of the Russian border and cracking down on terrorist activities, organized crime, corruption, and extremism. "The same applies to weapons, which need constant and uninterrupted upgrades and improvements to remain effective," Putin added. Pretty outdated. Only 64% of Russian military equipment and machinery is new or recent. It is 82% in Strategic Nuclear Forces, but only 48,3% in th Should this continue, this may further accelerate an end to the war. Also, it was a lot worse 10 years ago. 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. They are joined, or are about to be joined, by Belarusian troops and Chechen special forces. 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. 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. This is possible due to the new capabilities of surveillance drones and electronic warfare units to ferret out enemy positions without having to push as many human scouts into harm's way. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. $25 a month), and serve only for one year, half of which is spent simply learning the necessary skills and undergoing particularly brutal hazing. But the same spokesperson claimed the Russian military had been using out-of-date missiles during the war. MCFATE: I see last century's war happening in this century. 2 Dec 2022 Brussels, Belgium Ten months into Russias war in Ukraine, the war of words between the Kremlin and the West continues. [67]https://t.me/vladlentatarsky/19653;https://t.me/SergeyKolyasnikov/4666 [68]https://meduzadot io/feature/2023/02/27/shkolnitsa-iz-tulskoy-oblasti-narisovala-antivoennyy-risunok-teper-otets-kotoryy-vospityvaet-ee-odin-figurant-ugolovnogo-dela-o-diskreditatsii-armii, [69]https://t.me/astrapress/21972;https://t.me/sotaproject/54572, [70]https://minre.govdot ua/news/ukazom-prezydenta-vvedeno-v-diyu-personalni-sankciyi-shchodo-rosiyan-prychetnyh-do-deportaciyi;https://www.president.govdot ua/documents/1152023-45957, [71]https://minre.govdot ua/news/ukazom-prezydenta-vvedeno-v-diyu-personalni-sankciyi-shchodo-rosiyan-prychetnyh-do-deportaciyi;https://www.president.govdot ua/documents/1152023-45957, [73]https://minre.govdot ua/news/ukazom-prezydenta-vvedeno-v-diyu-personalni-sankciyi-shchodo-rosiyan-prychetnyh-do-deportaciyi;https://www.president.govdot ua/documents/1152023-45957, [74]https://armyinform.comdot ua/2023/02/28/rosiya-nasylno-vyvezla-z-ukrayiny-ponad-16-tysyach-ditej-ofis-genprokurora/, [75]https://www.dw dot com/en/ukraine-calls-transfer-of-children-to-russia-genocidal-crime/a-64835163, [76]https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/481;https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/480, [77]https://sprotyv.moddot gov.ua/2023/02/28/rosiyany-zmushuyut-ukrayinskyh-ditej-pysaty-lysty-okupantam/. And Prigozhin also owns the Internet Research Agency - you know, the troll factory. Former Soviet satellite Slovakia has been a NATO member since 2004, but the reality of belonging to the worlds biggest military alliance really kicked in after 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. This weakness might not matter so much if an army makes rapid progress at the start of its offensive. It's true a significant chunk of Russia's army is made up of conscripts who are paid a pittance (2,000 rubles, ie. Troops are trained in rote set pieces, with no time devoted to improvising if things dont go as planned. #Ukraine #Vuhledar #Donetsk pic.twitter.com/bIqWpLpcnZ. And that is what Russia did in 2014 to sort of take Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia's weapons need to be modernized. The vehicle was initially introduced by Soviet armed forces in 1954. [40]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0dDf2w34VWwwcuYqnxSQ [41]https://t.me/readovkanews/53706;https://t.me/sashakots/38685. Do the sources know the information? [31]Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the situation in Bakhmut is becoming increasingly complicated, and Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky remarked that Wagner is increasingly committing its most prepared assault units to offensives in the area. 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. Nor have the Russians established air superiority, even though their air force far outnumbers Ukraines. In this operation, the Russian military never achieved the necessary momentum. Please try again. [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. [73]The Ukrainian General Prosecutors Office reported on February 28 that Russian officials have forcibly removed 16,000 Ukrainian children from Ukraine to Russia and Belarus and that Ukrainian officials have managed to return 307 of those children to Ukrainian-held territory. Send me updates about Slate special offers. Mines have played a key role in the fighting in Ukraine over the past year. Have they proved reliable in the past? Putin seems to be following a manual out of the last century, not this one. [69], Activity in Russian-occupied Areas(Russian objective: consolidate administrative control of and annexed areas; forcibly integrate Ukrainian civilians into Russian sociocultural, economic, military, and governance systems). In theory, tanks and infantry companies in a BTG screen the artillery from counterattacks and mop up the survivors after the bombardment. The Russian soldiers have been plagued by poor morale as well as fuel and food shortages. 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. ISW has not observed indicators that Russian forces are preparing to resume prolonged offensive activity in Zaporizhia Oblast or any offensive activity in Kherson Oblast. [18]https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign [19]https://www.dw dot com/ru/lukasenko-pribyl-s-vizitom-v-kitaj/a-64846196. It's true a significant chunk The invocation of Chechnya and Finland is peculiar as while both conflicts with Russia suggest certain operational and tactical lessons, neither ended victoriously for Russia's opponents. In politics and in warfare, the small elite on top doesnt want subordinates to get too creativeif they did, they might take over. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. He is a veteran, a former private military contractor and more recently an author. [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. So they reported lies to him instead. [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). So I think we - you know, and the laws of war will once again prove rather feckless in changing his decision to do that. NPR's Michel Martin speaks to Sean McFate, author of "The New Rules of War," about Russia's military tactics in Ukraine. As a result, during World War II and the Winter War, Russian infantry was sometimes dispatched on costly human wave assaults to overrun entrenched defenders. Survivors after the bombardment defense official said Thursday: //www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign [ 19 ] https: //t.me/readovkanews/53706 ;:. 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