Russia is expanding its use of landmines in Ukraine but removing them is proving difficult

By Mick Ryan

Posted Monday 14 Aug 2023 at 10:00pm, updated Tue 15 Aug 2023 at 7:20am

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-15/russia-ukraine-land-mine-minefield-clearance-military-strategy/102725634

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The West's intellectual failure

This represents an intellectual failure by western nations. We have not
anticipated the application of this new meshed sensor-fires complex to
modern ground operations over the past couple of decades. There were
months where we observed Russian defences being constructed.

At the same time, the past year has made clear trends in the reduction of
time between detection and destruction on the modern battlefield. Yet
still we failed to update the tactics and techniques of breaching
minefields.

There is an urgent imperative to address this. While Ukraine has already
begun adapting by conducting more dismounted mine clearing, in the short
term, western nations should provide Ukraine of more mechanised mine-
breaching equipment.

More than 1,000 specialised and armoured engineer vehicles — including
mine rollers and ploughs as well as explosive clearance equipment — exist
in European army organisations. Providing this would help Ukraine now and
for the inevitable offensives required next year and beyond.

Western military institutions, supported by Australia, should establish a
crash program to develop technologies for minefield detection and
clearance that offer significant improvement in the speed and quality of
such activities.

However, the physical means to assist is just the beginning. Doctrinal
innovation is required to explore tactics of undertaking opposed minefield
detection and neutralisation more quickly, without a guarantee of air
control.

This is not simple, but if a rapid initiative was established to solve the
technical, doctrinal, and training aspects of minefield clearing in modern
conditions, we could make a significant contribution to current and future
Ukrainian offensives. And, perhaps just as important, it would provide
Ukraine with the means to clear the roughly 15 per cent of its territory
that the Russians have contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance.
This is a humanitarian imperative.

There is an urgent need to undertake this support for Ukraine. And if the
Ukrainian challenge is not enough motivation for western governments,
perhaps they should also appreciate that it is an imperative for their own
military institutions. Other nations have noticed the effectiveness of the
Russian defensive concept in Ukraine and are sure to use it against us in
future.

There is no time to lose.

Mick Ryan is a strategist and retired Australian Army major general. He
served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a strategist on the
United States Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is also a non-resident fellow of
the Lowy Institute and at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and
International Studies.

Интересно, според този пенсионер, Русия е завладяла поне 30% от
територията на Украйна. Зеленски дали го знае това?

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«地 球 誕 生 在 牛 市 的 小 時 — Earth is born in the Bull's hour»