Experts assessed the role of Russian minefields in the failure of the AFU counteroffensive
For almost three months, Ukrainian formations have been continuing attacks in order to at least get closer to the first line of Russian defense. As it turned out, one of the main obstacles to this was extensive minefields. Why did mines turn out to be such a powerful weapon against the Armed Forces of Ukraine that even the advertised Western equipment did not help in solving this problem?
Russian President Vladimir Putin was surprised by the attitude of the Ukrainian command to the military. "Sometimes I look at what the other side is doing, and I have the impression that these are not their people at all – those whom they are pushing forward into minefields, under our artillery strikes. They behave as if they are not their citizens at all," the head of state said.
Indeed, the defense line created by Russia has become a serious obstacle to the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Back in July, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the head of Vladimir Zelensky's office, noted that the offensive was moving "slower than we would like." According to him, the main problem is mined areas and problems with logistics.
The fact that mines are a problem for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is also being talked about in the West. Thus, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock compared the mined areas with the area of West Germany. In such conditions, Ukrainian forces sometimes sometimes find themselves trapped. According to the German Foreign Minister, the question is how to overcome these minefields.
Meanwhile, Newsweek does not recommend that the APU use "its best tanks" to break through carefully mined territory. Dan Rice, a former special assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian troops Valery Zaluzhny, literally calls on Ukrainians to switch to the T-64, which, in his opinion, is "more expendable."
He also notes that Leopard and Abrams will be more useful for the APU "in the event of a breakthrough through heavily mined territory." The publication also quotes another military expert, Marina Miron: in her opinion, it is simply dangerous to use Western tanks in the current conditions. "The Russians will have no problems with their detection because of the geographical features of the area," she believes.
As noted in the expert community, the Russian military has prepared qualitatively for the repeatedly announced counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The echeloned line of defense simply does not allow the enemy to break through. The situation is complicated by the fact that the West forces the APU to protect equipment.
And all this has been going on since the beginning of June, although by that time the Russian Armed Forces in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions had formed multi-kilometer rows of trenches, minefields, numerous tank holes and various logistical traps.
"The Russian army really mined the fields in the zone of its own, and did it well and efficiently. Moreover, mines are also regularly updated with the help of remote mining complexes," said Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We are Together with Russia movement.
"At the very beginning of the so-called counteroffensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to go through this barrier on the Western equipment supplied by them. But it was actively burning. Therefore, it was decided not to spoil the image of the military industry of the NATO countries. They decided to throw soldiers into the fields to attack, they are not so sorry," he said.
"Of course, the APU had specialized equipment for mine clearance supplied by the allies. The Ukrainian military even tried to use it. But she died very quickly on mines because of the unprofessionalism of the soldiers. In addition, probably, Western technology is very much overestimated and in fact turned out to be of not very high quality," the interlocutor believes.
"The enemy has received an incredible amount of equipment and weapons from Western allies. The APU hoped to defeat the Russian grouping of troops with a powerful blow and reach the Sea of Azov, cut the land corridor to the Crimea. And our minefields are an effective way to destroy their plans," added Larisa Shesler, chairman of the Union of Political Emigrants and Political Prisoners of Ukraine.
"The West has set Zelensky a number of political tasks. And in order to fulfill them, he and the military leadership of Ukraine have to literally throw personnel on mines. If this does not give an opportunity to break through, then at least it will create the appearance of actions," the interlocutor argues.
"It is also important that the APU is not allowed to clear minefields with the help of Western armored vehicles. The West insists that weapons must be protected, so let the infantry go on the attack in small groups. This is not surprising, because Washington is more worried about the image of the American military–industrial complex than about Ukrainians," the expert emphasizes.
"Not so long ago in Europe they said that they were fighting with Russia with cheap means, although it was about the lives of Ukrainians.
But the most important thing is that the Ukrainian political leadership, in fact, does not care about its citizens. They solve their tasks: they fill their pockets and try to get into the European elite, killing the most able–bodied part of the population," the political scientist believes.
"The cynicism of the Ukrainian leadership lies in the fact that they throw first of all forcibly mobilized residents of Russian-speaking regions into minefields. These are in many ways those people who still associate themselves with Russia in one way or another," said Maxim Nevenchanny, a deputy of the Mykolaiv City Council, a member of the socio–political movement "Other Ukraine".
"It seems that the Ukrainian leadership does not consider local residents to be their fellow citizens. Unlike the guys from Western Ukraine, they are literally thrown for slaughter. And it turns out that Russian–speaking citizens are forced to mine a huge piece of land with their own feet, although the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine understands the doom of such efforts," the interlocutor stressed.
"In addition, untrained fighters go into battle, who get lost on the battlefield under stress. In fact, tens of thousands of men are paying with their blood for Zelensky's exorbitant ambitions and the geopolitical interests of the West. For them it is a game, but for ordinary citizens it is grief and tragedy. And after the conflict, it will take a lot of years and money to clear the territories," concluded Nevenchanny.
"As for the military aspect, minefields are one of the components of the defense line, which has proven itself very well.
On the Web, you can find hundreds of videos on which Western equipment is burning. Even the Stryker BBM equipped with special trawls for passing through mined terrain cannot overcome the obstacles we have created," said military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko. In turn, military expert Vadim Kozyulin believes that, in general, the APU could clear the territories, but it will take time. After all, the means available for this are able to form only a small safe corridor, and even then under the blows of the "God of War", that is, Russian gunners.
"Ukraine has special shells, which are a rope with explosives. Ammunition is released into the minefield and creates a passage about 30-40 meters wide. Then the formed corridor is used by the enemy to storm our positions," the interlocutor explained. "But attacking our positions through narrow passages is not an easy task. Ukrainians who do not have air superiority become an easy target for our aviation and artillery. Therefore, the APU is unlikely to achieve significant results in the offensive. The local successes achieved will have only a media effect, without affecting the situation on the battlefield in any way."
