The Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, 69, imagined a very different invasion of Ukraine. Send troops, war in a few days – and the country will be defeated. But his plan did not work. In the end, the Russian president had to realize that in a few weeks he would not be able to occupy the whole of Ukraine. So he focused on eastern Ukraine.
After the initial difficulties, the new strategy for Russia now seems to be working. The attackers already controlled 97 percent of the province of Luhansk. The fight is still 40 to 40 kilometers away in the “pot”. The cities of Artemievsk, Bopasna, Seversk and Sverdlovskaya form the main cornerstones.
Military strategist Marcus Reisner, 44, believes the war will be decisive, especially for the Sivjerodonets. “If something serious does not happen, the Russians will close the pocket,” the Colonel of the Austrian Ministry of Defense said in an interview. “Weld”.
Violent attacks at night
Reisner blames the three tactics now used by Putin’s militants on Russia’s victory in eastern Ukraine.
First: Heavy artillery, bombs and rockets are fired at night in Ukrainian positions. The next morning, the infantry, guarded by tanks, advanced to the levels.
“If the Russians succeed in destroying the Ukrainian position at one point – as they did recently in the area around the city of Bobasna – they will use it as an entry point,” Reisner explains. The attackers then break in there and try to kill the Ukrainians in the trenches.
Second, Russia uses ballistic missile systems such as the Iskander-M. “They fly up to 500 kilometers and destroy arms stores, fuel depots, but also barracks and the Ukrainian command system,” Reisner says of the rockets. “It’s devastating.”
Sophisticated Luftwaffe tricks
According to a military strategist, Russia recently transferred an Iskander battalion to Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border. Since then, rockets and cruise missiles have been fired several times in the pocket near Gramadorsk or Slozansk.
50 km range: The Russians demonstrate the firepower of tank artillery(01:13)
Third, even though Russia has no air dominance over Ukraine, the invaders are still exploiting their superior air force.
Colonel Reisner explains: “Russian planes or helicopters fly very low to the ground and appear completely unpredictable, so the Ukrainian soldiers notice them too late. The planes come from low altitudes and drop bombs as they ascend. “
The dark view of eastern Ukraine
As a result, Russia has already been able to record large regional gains. “So far 25 percent in Ukraine,” notes Marcus Reisner. According to him, the solution against progress is Western arms distribution. But these “started too late, which is why heavy weapons did not reach the target in time”.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is currently dire. Reisner believes the Russians want to control the whole Donbass in early autumn. After that, let’s think about a ceasefire. “I expect both sides to try to launch an attack next spring.” (obf)
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