Russia's tank tactics surprise experts
In a large-scale attack, Russia deploys masses of tanks but fails again. The ISW expresses surprise over the military's actions. An open-source organization speaks of hundreds of prepared vehicles that have been moved to the front lines.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) sees the reported large-scale attack by Russian forces with 57 armored vehicles as "shortsighted." This attack is said to have been one of the largest since the beginning of the war. Russia is using a lot of military equipment, although there are no significant targets in the affected region, according to an ISW analysis.
"The persistent readiness of the military command to accept heavy losses for minor tactical gains is becoming increasingly costly for the Russian forces," writes the US think tank. The experts, who analyze the war daily, are surprised that the armored vehicles are not being saved for operationally significant targets.
The Russian forces have been using extremely costly attacks as a means of warfare against Ukraine for a long time. There are often failures, such as when reconnaissance drones detect attacking tanks early. The ISW writes that the Russian military command "has not fully internalized the lessons of the difficulties in the nearly transparent battlefield yet."
The continuing high losses due to questionable warfare are being countered by the massive repair of old tanks and new builds from the Soviet era. However, many experts believe that the forces are losing significantly more military equipment than the industry can make good or new. The Russian government may have to further mobilize the economy and defense industry if the military intends to maintain its current, intense operational tempo, according to the ISW.
Hundreds of obsolete T-62 and T-55 tanks to the front
The once well-stocked depots of military equipment from Soviet times are still not empty. The in-country open-source organization Frontelligence Insight recently reported that it had observed Russian forces deploying hundreds of restored T-62 and T-55 tanks to the front lines in June and early July. These tanks have not yet appeared on the battlefield, possibly to be used at the end of the year.
Internal Russian documents are also said to show that Russian tanks that were damaged in the last half of the year are mostly waiting for spare parts. A motor shortage has reportedly led to a "cannibalization" of modern T-80 tanks for repairs. This means that tanks are being dismantled to provide spare parts for other models.
The hopes of the Ukrainian defenders that large-scale attacks of the past belong to history can not be realized - even though some brigades reported in recent times that they had noticed fewer tanks on the battlefield. "Russia currently has sufficient armored vehicles to conduct periodic mechanized attacks in company-sized and larger formations along the front lines in the foreseeable future," according to the ISW analysis.
- Despite the failure of the large-scale attack on Ukraine, Russia continues to deploy obsolete T-62 and T-55 tanks to the front lines, as reported by Frontelligence Insight in June and July.
- The Russian military's reliance on outdated tanks like the T-62 and T-55, despite their lack of effectiveness, is a testament to the persistent difficulties the Russian command has in adapting to the modern battlefield.
- The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) asserts that Russia still maintains a substantial number of armored vehicles, capable of conducting periodic mechanized attacks along the front lines, contradicting the hopes of Ukrainian defenders for a reduction in tank presence.
