What can stop Russian tanks rolling into Ukraine? | 158 comments (158 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (4.00 / 3)

Specifically on the Ukrainian border they have something like 4 mechanized brigades in the first echelong, and maybe another 6 mech brigades in the second echelong, 100 km back from the border. On top of this there should be a battalion of airborne guys (with their helos, including attack helos), and lots of Spetsnaz (special forces) running around, the latter very likely already inside the Ukraine. All units should be in full combat readiness, and at a peak level of training: a mix of professional soldiers and conscripts at the tail end of their service time. This is a very sizeable force!

They reportedly have also been setting up supply lines. Therefore one might expect them to be ready for a Blitzkrieg-like incursion. But they don't need to do that necessarily.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 05:59:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (none / 1)

Yes, and field hospitals and stuff. The second echelong supposedly has a higher fraction of support units than the first echelong. The job of the first echelong is to surge forward, identify the weak spots in the enemy line, break through, push on, probably avoiding cities, and link up with the airborne units. The second echelong follows and eliminates the bypassed and surrounded enemy units, mopping up, and occupies the cities.

If the Russians push the button, we will probably see a classical performance of blitzkrieg, which actually is a Russian invention (or at least pretty much - it's a but complicated) - before Stalin murdered all the officers.

Anyway, Deep Battle with Operational Maneuver Groups, here we go.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 08:47:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (none / 0)

Does this count as mirror-imaging?

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 09:18:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (none / 1)

Hopefully not, as it's less based on what we would do, and more on Russian Cold War standard operating procedure.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 11:06:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (none / 0)

Starvid:

blitzkrieg, which actually is a Russian invention (or at least pretty much - it's a but complicated)

Oh? According to De Gaulle, he invented blitzkrieg, which was adopted by the Germans... and not by the French. Specifically, the use of armoured divisions as a strike force with integrated air and infantry support.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 11:28:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The only thing which can stop Russian tanks (4.00 / 3)

Well... de Gaulle would say that, wouldn't he? He was, after all, de Gaulle! ;)

Really, you can go back to JC Fuller as well and say that the British invented it, or you can ask "what is Blitzkrieg, really?" And you'll see that it is not at all that clear-cut, that the Germans themselves did not have a formalized Blitzkrieg doctrine, and that there actually were considerable differences between the Soviet Deep Battle, and what in practice became the German Blitzkrieg, and so on.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Thu Apr 3rd, 2014 at 11:35:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

What can stop Russian tanks rolling into Ukraine? | 158 comments (158 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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