Russia’s New Battlefield Tactics in Ukraine
The Russian army in Ukraine has adopted a new look, with soldiers on motorcycles racing across no-man’s land, relying on speed to evade Ukrainian fire. However, they are not always able to outrun the swarms of drones that hover over the battlefield, picking off fighters one by one.
A Ukrainian drone strikes a Russian soldier on a motorcycle.
According to George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War, this is one of the new tactics Russia has used to seize 430 square miles of territory over the past nine months. “At the moment, the Russians have the upper hand,” Barros said. “The Russians are able to choose where, when, and the tempo of battle, and what intensity that they want to conduct offensive operations anywhere along this entire 600-mile front line.”
The price Russia is paying to make these advances is very high, with estimates suggesting that the Russians are losing between 25,000 to 30,000 troops per month. By some estimates, Russia has suffered a staggering half-million killed or wounded since the invasion began in February 2022.
Yet, Putin has been able to replace those losses and pursue his merciless, long-war strategy – endless assaults to grind down Ukraine’s ability to resist, coupled with threats of nuclear war against nations supporting Ukraine.
The United States’ Role in the Conflict
The United States leaned back when politics caused a five-month suspension in arms shipments to Ukraine. The delay occurred just as the Russian air force was unleashing a devastating new weapon. Barros said, “The Russians discovered that they can put these cheap glide kits onto the glide bombs, and convert their large Soviet-era stockpiles of dumb gravity bombs into a precision weapon.”
A Russian glide bomb.
The bombs sprout wings in flight and, guided by a GPS signal, glide toward targets 30 to 40 miles away, while Russian pilots remain out of range of Ukraine’s air defenses. “They can use their air power and 500-kilogram bombs to pummel and destroy Ukrainian trenches, bunkers, strong points, and fortifications,” Barros said.
The Battlefield in Ukraine
Thousands of bombs and millions of artillery shells have turned the battlefield into a moonscape of craters. One became a death trap for a Russian tank when a tiny Ukrainian drone attacked it.
A Ukrainian drone attacks a Russian tank.
Russia has tried protecting its tanks with extra layers of armor, but for every measure, there is a counter-measure – and American weapons are once again flowing to Ukraine.
The Decisive Factor in the War
As with all wars, it comes down to will. “Political will is the decisive factor for this war,” said Barros. “It’s not what happens on the battleground; territory can be lost, ceded, and recaptured again. But if we make the decision to abandon the Ukrainians, they will lose.”
