He said in a summary of his findings that "mechanized formations are rarely deployed due to lack of enablers for maneuver," adding that "this includes insufficient quantities of de-mining equipment, air defenses, etc."Īs it attempts to execute a counteroffensive, Ukraine is facing not just minefields but also other barriers to tank and infantry advances, trench networks, aviation, and artillery, both actual designated artillery pieces and older tanks functioning as self-propelled artillery. In other cases, offensive movement has slowed to a crawl or ground to a halt as Ukraine signals its forces need much more to slice through Russia's defenses.įranz-Stefan Gady, an expert on war at the Center for New American Security who recently visited Ukraine, reported that "this is an infantryman's fight" with artillery support along the front, meaning "progress is measured by yards/meters and not km/miles given reduced mobility." In some cases, Ukrainian troops are leaving the much-sought-after armored vehicles behind and attempting to advance on foot. Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, recently told The Washington Post that "you can no longer do anything with just a tank, with some armor, because the minefield is too deep, and sooner or later, it will stop and then it will be destroyed by concentrated fire." There's more Ukraine still needs, and it's not just more equipment.Īs one expert told Insider previously, Leopards are very capable tanks, but no one should expect a "silver bullet." Similar observations were made about the other armored systems, and that seems to be the case as Ukraine's military leadership laments the ability of Russian land mines to stop armor in its tracks.
Ukraine received a lot of Western armor, like Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, ahead of its big counteroffensive, but that isn't enough to break through Russian defenses.
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