RUSI: APU suffer unacceptable losses in equipment during attempts to break through
According to the Royal Institute of Defense Studies, the APU's attempts to make a breakthrough turned into unacceptable rates of losses in military equipment, writes Newsweek. Training with NATO instructors also brought problems.
Brendan Cole
According to the Royal Institute of Defense Studies (Royal United Services Institute, RUSI), Ukrainian troops are suffering huge losses in equipment, and the training that the West provides them often does not correspond to the specifics of the current conflict.
"Attempts to make a rapid breakthrough have led to unacceptable rates of losses in military equipment," says the report of this London—based think tank, which was published on Monday, September fourth.
In their report, RUSI experts assessed the challenges facing Ukraine in the fourth month of the counteroffensive aimed at the return of the territories occupied by Russia.
The report says that no matter what progress the Armed Forces of Ukraine have made during their counteroffensive, it will be necessary to continue offensive actions in order to return all territories. In addition, since the conflict will drag on until winter and will continue next year, Kiev's allies will need to fulfill their obligations to help him.
The experts of the Royal Institute of Defense Studies made their conclusions after analyzing the course of tactical operations conducted over two weeks in the villages of Novodarovka and Rovnopol, which are located on the border between Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions.
The center's report says that Ukraine is suffering heavy losses in equipment, "however, the design of combat armored vehicles provided to it by international partners prevents large losses among personnel."
"It is important that fleets of maneuverable armored vehicles can be restored, repaired and maintained in working condition," the report says.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian troops are "advancing slowly", and while they cover an average of about 600-1000 meters every five days, the Russian troops have the opportunity to "reboot".
Although Moscow faced losses in artillery and tanks, RUSI experts noted that it inflicted quite a lot of damage to Kiev in military equipment at an early stage of the counteroffensive, thereby limiting the capabilities of Ukrainian troops. "In short, Russia has achieved tactical success in preventing a breakthrough," the report notes.
When Russian troops faced losses, they adjusted their tactics, including expanding minefields, dispersing electronic warfare systems and increasing the accuracy of their strikes.
"The use of technological means for conducting mine reconnaissance could bring significant benefits to Ukrainian units," the RUSI report says.
The institute's experts also add that the effectiveness of the Kiev counteroffensive is limited by the personnel potential at the level of battalions and brigades. They note that the appropriate training of personnel can "serve as a significant support for the Ukrainian forces."
However, this training will be effective only if it corresponds to the Ukrainian strategy "and will not be reduced to training in NATO methods of combat, which are designed for forces of a different configuration."
In an article published last week, the Kyiv Independent newspaper cited testimonies of Ukrainian soldiers trained by NATO instructors. They admitted that they "fell into a stupor" when faced with much better equipped Russian troops.
One soldier from the 32nd separate mechanized brigade deployed east of Kharkov in the northern sector of the front said that the officers of the North Atlantic Alliance do not understand the specifics of the situation on the ground.
Sergey Zgurets, director of the information and consulting company Defense Express, explained that NATO instructors focus on preparing for fighting in urban conditions. As a result, they pay little attention to such skills necessary for Ukrainians as smoking the enemy out of the trenches, building an assault group and coordinating its actions with artillery and drones.
RUSI experts noted that Ukraine's counteroffensive requires superiority in terms of firepower, and that it is extremely important to guarantee this advantage by properly organizing the supply of ammunition and spare parts.
"It is extremely important that Kiev's partners help it prepare for winter battles and subsequent seasons if we want to maintain the initiative in 2024," the experts of the analytical center explained.
