- Russian military bloggers criticized Russian tactics in Ukraine, a US think tank said.
- They said Russian troops continue to gather in large groups, enabling drones to target them.
- Ukraine has used drones to counter Russia’s manpower and equipment advantages.
Russian troops are continuing to gather in large groups to attack Ukrainian positions despite it making them an easy target for drones, Russian milbloggers said, according to a report.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said that influential Russian milbloggers were expressing frustration at tactical blunders by the Russian military.
According to the critics, Russia is forming groups of armored vehicles and troops to attack Ukrainian positions that are easily blown up from the air by exploding drones, said the ISW.
The think tank cited one Russian milblogger who it said questioned how commanders could fail to account for Ukrainian drones and afford to lose so much manpower, accusing them of “complete stupidity and incompetence.”
It’s not the first time they’ve made the complaint in recent weeks, but frustration at the apparent lack of planning appears to have grown.
It matters because it provides insight into the tactical mistakes that have repeatedly impacted Russia’s Ukraine invasion, causing huge casualties and equipment losses. It also shows how cheap airborne drones have been deployed by Ukraine in a highly effective way.
Russia’s milbloggers have been an important source of independent information about Russia’s military, repeatedly criticizing what they claim to be tactical errors by its commanders.
Russia and Ukraine are in a stalemate, with the militaries dug into hundreds of miles of defensive positions. In recent weeks, Russia has tried to take advantage of low Ukrainian ammunition stocks and waning Western support in attempting to break through Ukraine’s defenses, but with little success, resulting in steep casualties.
Ukraine has used cheap airborne drones to surveil the battlefield and blow up targets, mitigating Russia’s manpower and equipment advantages and making the type of massive attack necessary for getting past defenses very difficult.
Ukraine’s top commander, in a CNN op-ed Thursday, said Ukraine could seize an advantage in the war through innovation and new technology.
