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vpatrick
MA MA USA
Posts: 2474
Joined: 2020
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/6/2022 5:15:28 PM
Now this is just my assumption I have not read anything to confirm this so take my assumptions for what they are. But I have to wonder the Ukrainian Military is counter attacking on the flanks both in the Kharkiv area and in the south near Kherson. My assumption is the Ukrainian Military has deep fortifications in the east in the Donbas area they have for 8 years they seem to be holding. Is the Ukrainian military holding the hand of the Russian Military in the east (Donbas) as they counter attack on the flanks of both the northeast and south east to roll up the Russians in the east ? It seems like something Robert E Lee would do is to hold a force with fortifications and entrchements and roll up his sides with a maneuverable force? Not sure if the Ukrainians have that much power for such a flanking attack but who knows? I dunno but such counter attacks must be diverting Russian forces from the east Donbas areas to shore up their flanks making their invasion from the east less effective at the least? I would appreciate the thoughts of much more well read folks than myself.

vpatrick
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nuts
Brian Grafton
Victoria BC Canada
Posts: 4720
Joined: 2004
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/6/2022 6:42:18 PM
VP, good questions, IMHO. I would be a hell of a lot happier to offer an assessment both of your assumptions and of the broader battle were there slightly more information about relative supply, reinforcements, ordnance and intel strengths and future capabilities.

May I offer one site I have been reading daily for the past 3 weeks or so? It is a US-based site, but claims to offer nothing but assessment based on verifiable intel. As of the current time of writing, e.g. – 15:35 PDT – they have noted but not confirmed the possible hits on the Russian frigate Makarov. The reports – sometimes two or even three daily – a concise and easy to read; the accompanying maps are rather more challenging, and IMHO are better viewed with a second map of Ukraine at hand.
[Read More]

As I say, I like this site. It appears almost obnoxiously objective. Don’t know if other MHOers have any experience with it, but I’d love some feedback from any who have used it as a resource.

Cheers,
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly. "The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
vpatrick
MA MA USA
Posts: 2474
Joined: 2020
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/6/2022 7:56:41 PM
Thanks Brian,

Never saw it but will use it now for a resource!

vpatrick
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nuts
Wazza
Sydney  Australia
Posts: 799
Joined: 2005
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/9/2022 11:00:53 PM
My question is, Where are all of the Ukraine's armored brigades hiding?
All we see on news footage is small militia type skirmishes or small regular units in action.
Larry Purtell
Little Meadows PA USA
Posts: 1743
Joined: 2004
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/10/2022 9:27:45 AM
Quote:
My question is, Where are all of the Ukraine's armored brigades hiding?
All we see on news footage is small militia type skirmishes or small regular units in action.


Hi Wazza. Been wondering the same thing myself. Could it be the regular armored units are being held back to counter breakthroughs or maybe for
a planned counter offensive?
Larry

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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
George
Centre Hastings ON Canada
Posts: 13378
Joined: 2009
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/10/2022 11:55:29 AM
Are all these Russian tanks and other vehicles being destroyed by soldiers with anti-tank weapons or by artillery or drones? There seems to be significant damage to Russian equipment. The Ukrainians are getting making them pay.

Re: tanks. Russia has more tanks than any army in the world or so I read. Someone correct me if that's wrong.

How many tanks could Ukraine commit to an offensive?


This BBC article claims that Ukraine now has more tanks on the ground than does Russia though Russia has many more in reserve.
The article also states that of 2700 main battle tanks committed by Russia to the fight, 400 have been destroyed and another 2000 armoured vehicles have also been destroyed.

The article is one month old now so I am sure that the reports have changed.

[Read More]

Cheers,

George


Brian Grafton
Victoria BC Canada
Posts: 4720
Joined: 2004
Ukrainian Military strategy?
5/10/2022 8:06:18 PM
A host of MHOers have more knowledge of tanks than I do. Nevertheless, IIUC tanks are increasingly proving to be much less impactful than in the last major European conflict, sometimes known as WW2. Anti-tank weapons – hand-held, drone, missile, or even good old Molotov cocktail – have been sufficiently improved to make tanks vulnerable when facing flexible defenses. Additionally, as has been made clear, the Russian choice to store ready-use ammunition around the turret ring has proven to be a design flaw which allows the ammo to cook off much too readily.

I’m not denying that Russia has a huge number of tanks. Nor am I suggesting that Russian military tactics are flawed. I sense that in a full aggressive war, the Russian use of their standard Army groups (can’t remember the precise name; something like Motorized Army Groups) would be pretty formidable against an enemy in a more mobile war. But this war hasn’t been as mobile as expected.

We’re at – what? – Day 75 of the war? I wonder how many military think tanks or sand-lot players or historians or casual civilians, once the war began, believed the number would get to even 30? Yet although things are not at all pretty, we see Ukrainian counter-offensives finally impacting the war. To date, I have seen no discussion of what Ukrainian strategy is getting right; only a lot of commentary on what Russian forces have done wrong. Perhaps it is only with the re-direction of the Russian goals against Ukraine that Ukraine had any policy except the most basic: cede them nothing. But that is changing, particularly in the NE of the country.Ukrainian gains are becoming increasingly significant, and are easing pressure on cities, towns and villages in the Kharkiv region.

I could ramble on; I have some opinions about what’s going on. But for the moment, try to imagine whether Ukrainian forces, if they co-ordinate their various counter-offensives into a full scale action to drive Russian forces out of entrenched positions, will be any more successful than Russia has been.

Cheers
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly. "The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.

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