There is a danger that the war will move to a new stage – the so-called positional war, that is, trench warfare.
Ukraine is entering a new phase War With Russia, digging is key. Troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces assigned to combat missions are forced to dig trenches in anticipation of a large-scale offensive that the occupiers will launch this spring.
about this write down UNIAN with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
“The front already looks more like a construction site than a battlefield,” asserts The Wall Street Journal.
The paper says Ukraine is now trying to build fortifications similar to those built by Russia a year ago – the enemy's defenses showed “deadly efficiency” and allowed Ukrainian troops to limit their advance last summer. A similar task now faces Kiev. Troops break ground and build anti-tank ditches and trenches, especially in areas near Avdivka.
This Monday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal announced that nearly 31 billion hryvnias, or about $800 million, have been earmarked for the construction of fortifications.
But Western officials and Ukrainian soldiers say this “dig and dig” campaign has not brought significant results.
“The lack of progress is becoming a problem for Ukraine as Russia steps up its offensive. In recent days it has driven Ukrainian forces out of several villages west of Avdiyivka, although the mountains and reservoirs a little further west could become natural fortifications that could be used to defend Kiev,” the newspaper writes.
Franz-Stephen Gadi, a Viennese security analyst who recently visited frontline areas east of the Donbass, offers an ominous forecast:
“The lack of front-line security should cause some concern in Ukraine. The situation will become more critical for Ukrainian forces.”
At the same time, soldiers in the war zone near Avdiivka admit that war conditions leave them with no other choice. “In the situation we are in, we have to dig in, deepen and build ourselves,” said Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd OShBr.
Therefore, troops assigned to combat missions are forced to dig trenches, and often under fire. But the difficulty is that “manpower” efforts alone are not enough to build effective fortifications, the publication asserts.
The WSJ recalls that when the armed forces launched a massive offensive against Russia last summer, infantry and vehicles quickly became trapped in a complex network of obstacles that Moscow had spent months building.
“Its main defensive belt proved nearly impossible to cross with multi-layered trench lines, anti-tank ditches, concrete blocks and large mines. Building a similar defense is now imperative for Ukraine,” the WSJ writes.
We remind you:
In the east and south of Ukraine, our soldiers are repelling enemy attacks and defending themselves bravely. And this has been going on for months. In the occupied territories, the enemy built more than 6 thousand kilometers of trenches, fortifications and fortifications.
According to Deepstate, the most protected from our attack are Zaporizhia – 1,869 km, Donetsk – 1,865 km, Luhansk – 1,140 km, and Kherson – 886 km – occupied territories.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov believes that it is necessary to systematically and purposefully destroy the enemy, and we should not be impressed by the length of the Russian trenches.
“You can dig 10,000 kilometers of trenches. But if these trenches do not have soldiers or are not motivated enough to defend these positions, then these are only engineering structures equipped with shovels or mechanically dug. Nothing more. So, no. It is necessary to be deceived by the seemingly large number. Russia dug. Using the size of the trenches, we can at least give them some assurance that tomorrow we will not go on the offensive and break through these trenches. So, the length of the trenches is not an indicator.”
The website TSN.ua was able to quickly build enemy defensive trenches and found out what it takes to destroy these kilometers of enemy engineering structures.
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