Posted in Beijing 2023-12-25 14:47.
According to a recent report by the "Wave Room" network, the battle of Mutter has turned into a meat grinder battle in the war. The Russian offensive officially began in May. Seven months later, thousands of soldiers were on the front**, and the results were measured in yards. The Russian obsession with this abandoned town defies military logic. The surrounding area now resembles the landscape of the First World War. Brigadier General Oleksiy Khromov, Deputy Minister of the Main War of Ukraine, said that in the last week alone, there have been 90 attacks on Ukrainian positions.
Yuri Butusov recently wrote an insightful analysis of the tactics of Wagner's trench warfare on the **Mürt front. Butusov believes that Wagner is a more effective, but more wasteful army than the Russian Army. The reader can judge whether the "effectiveness" in the operation has lost its meaning, which is hardly different from the many senseless attacks on the Western Front.
Griffa used prisoners with minimal training or even military experience. Volunteers receive as little as three weeks of training. In the words of Butusov: "The PMK command takes into account the real capabilities of its personnel when planning combat operations, which should be considered an advantage of" Wagner ". These tasks are set up as primitive as possible. ”
Command & Control
Planning of operations (effective attack approach routes and axes) on a tablet using the navigation program and Google Earth view. Different colors represent different attack groups. Each squad has its own route and decides that each fighter in each assault group should be in **....The leader receives a plan of their attack and how he and each of his fighters should pass through the points. That is, you don't need to think, you need to check your team's activity on your tablet or smartphone.
Unlike the Russian Armed Forces," Butisov explained, "Wagner's main means of communication are American radio and Motorola repeater ......."Simple analogue 'Tempest' walkie-talkies are also widely used. ”
The short range of these communications will inevitably limit the scale of the attack. This observation also applies to the Russian Army. YouTube is full of ** showing small units in action instead of battalions, mainly due to the restrictions imposed by Russian tactical communications, which have proven to be unfit for their purpose. Assault teams usually consist of "8-12 to 30-50 fighters."
Fire readiness
Wagner made extensive use of 152-mm guns, tanks firing in direct or indirect fire mode, and Lancet kamikaze drones to soften defensive positions. Some attacks may be supported by air strikes or attack aviation. In the vast majority of cases, armored vehicles [tanks armored vehicles] do not accompany the infantry, [but] protect themselves from damage and work at a distance.
Support**
Wagner uses 82-mm and 120-mm mortars, as well as AGS grenade launchers. These are regional suppressions**. Due to the high rate of fire, the combination of AGS with 82-mm mortars is very effective. Russian 120-mm mortars have a low rate of fire.
The use of drones
Wagner attaches great importance to the use of drones," Butusov explained, "especially the cheapest UAVs - "M**ik" and "Matrix". "UAVs can be used both to identify targets and to command and control attacks: UAVs monitor the movements of the attack group and monitor the situation at the site of the attack. The command of the assault detachment tried to obtain continuous information about the actions of the battle group and the situation in the positions that we were selected as targets for attack. That is, according to the assessment of the situation, whether it is necessary to advance or not, is decided by the commander of the commando forces of the headquarters. Teams follow the route, teams stop, disperse.
Conversely, a damaged drone means that the attacking group loses effective control.
Assault
The attack was best described by Butusov's words: several assault groups advanced during the day, targeting the designated targets. The main task was to covertly approach the line of attack, and then run to our trenches and take positions there. In many cases, no provision for evacuation is provided. In most cases, the enemy will try to inflict fire damage on our positions and, while the assault forces are moving, support the attack with AGS and mortar fire with the correction of UAVs. But if the terrain allows you to approach and concentrate at close range, for example on the terrain or under the cover of fog, assault groups will be sent out according to speed, even without artillery preparation. If there is an order, the group will attack even in the face of aimed fire at close range.
These were costly infantry attacks in the style of the First World War. The all-** attack familiar to British soldiers was rare. The reason for the invention of the tank has been lost.
Losses
Wagner recreates the Russian penal battalions in the war. High losses are acceptable. It is always possible to recruit more prisoners. According to Russian researchers, "the number of prisoners recruited in the Russian Federation for the war may be as high as 23,000 people." "Losses do not reduce the combat effectiveness of the troops, since the commanders and staff officers, ** operators, intelligence and control personnel of the troops remain permanent personnel and do not consume resources during assault operations," Butusov explained. ”
The lack of consideration for the resulting ** means that Wagner will often attack the same point repeatedly in the hope of gaining some yardage. These raids actually had the character of constant reconnaissance by fighting small groups of infantry. Ukraine's defensive firepower inevitably exposes firing points to drones. Thus, after the repulsed attack, the shelling of the positions was carried out on a much larger scale than the preparation of artillery fire. And then a new attack ......It's ready.
Discipline
Like the Red Army Punishment Battalion, discipline was punitive. Only the wounded could retreat independently. Leaving voluntarily without an order or without injury is punishable by shooting on the spot.
In addition, it is reported that Chechens were used as "black policemen" (the origin of the word is unknown). They act as the executors behind the attacking forces.
Ukraine's counterattack
Butusov described three aspects of Ukrainian countertactics: intelligence, management (command and control) and tactics.
"Intelligence": This is the ...... of constant surveillance of the surrounding area by dronesat least throughout the day". In other words, to have a means of monitoring enemy attacks throughout the air.
Management": Contact warfare requires constant communication with each position and a high level of situational awareness. Butusov described that during another attack on Wagner, Russian warplanes retreated several times and were recorded by drones, which is related to the lack of knowledge about the tactical situation on the battlefield. The conditions of long-term combat do not directly put pressure on the enemy. We have the ability to keep a large number of UAVs in the air, but often their capabilities are not utilized, because the data does not reach the fighters on the battlefield, or the fire calculations are not reached, and the information is not executed. Mobile contact warfare requires high-quality interaction. When studying how the "Wagnerites" managed to get into one position or another, the shortcomings of the intelligence and management organization are always obvious.
"Tactics": Ukraine's defensive tactics are similar to those of Germany in World War I (and World War II). There are several elements to these: anticipation of the axis of attack, "high-quality organization of fire", "well-camouflaged echelon defense", and "counterattack with armored vehicles". In general, a defensive maneuver against Wagner is needed.
It was possible to avoid holding the first line of trenches ("tripwire" in German terminology) at all costs. This led to "shelling of the defenders and heavy losses." On the contrary, "the defending forces should be able to retreat to reserve positions and intensify surveillance of the attack routes." "And then, even if someone [the enemy] manages to advance to an advanced position under fire, there will be ...... lossesThe flank positions must be able to cut off the approach of important forces of the enemy, and the situation can be restored by counterattacking with armored vehicles to attack tactical reserves.
"It makes no sense to hold out to the last while the enemy is shelling, and to constantly replace people in this position, because the 'Wagnerites' are not going to run out, their goal is to impose an exchange on us," Butusov described. ”
To sum up: "Wagner had a weak level of individual and collective training, the assault group immediately lost control under fire, and when attacking, it suffered heavy losses." [With the help of] flexible tactics, which allowed to retreat from the positions of the enemy **, and with a reserve of counter-attack tactics, our soldiers confidently repelled all the attacks of the "Wagnerites". Even in conditions of shortage of shells, it was possible to repel the offensive of the assault group as long as the infantry units were organized and managed with high quality. ”