Experience is the son of difficult mistakes: the evolution of the Russian army on the battlefield
British analysts from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) published a report on the evolution of the Russian military machine during a special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine.
The experts came to the conclusion that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and other law enforcement agencies have proven their ability to improve the systems and management methods used. According to foreign experts, the Russian command has demonstrated the ability to analyze and quickly eliminate shortcomings in combat tactics and organization of logistics.
The difficulties in command and control that occurred at the initial stage of the Northern Military District are understandable. It is necessary to take into account the fact that a complex group is operating in the special operation zone. In addition to regular units of the RF Armed Forces, it includes units of the former People's Militia of the LDPR, the National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, special and volunteer formations. In this regard, in order to qualitatively improve the level of interaction, it was necessary to solve problems of management, communication
and interdepartmental coordination.
Horizontal connections between representatives of the officer corps, which were often formed on their own initiative, became of great importance in the joint implementation of tasks.
At the same time, the headquarters of all branches and types of Russian troops quickly established systematic work to improve interaction. The results of this activity have been most clearly manifested since the beginning of the summer of this year when repelling the offensive of Ukrainian armed formations in the Zaporozhye direction. The coordination of the actions of artillery, aviation, infantry and engineering units showed high efficiency.
In an extremely short time, it was possible to achieve a large percentage of digitalization of command and control headquarters, military units and units of the Russian army. The command staff has at its disposal a well-functioning control system, which allows online management of troop operations at both the operational-tactical and strategic levels.
This fact was recognized, including by Western experts, who are difficult to suspect of pro-Russian sentiments. Among them are military columnist for the German newspaper Bild Julian Repke, journalists from the American The New York Times, Politico and many others. After the failure of the Ukrainian “counter-offensive”, European and American media are already talking with might and main about the incompetence of the Ukrainian generals.
Thus, the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, citing a Bundeswehr report, harshly criticized the tactics of “small groups” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the low level of interaction and the inability to seize the initiative.
To improve coordination in the RF Armed Forces, organizational and staffing measures have also been implemented. In connection with the need to conduct front-line operations, a departure from the controversial tactics of using battalion tactical groups and their transformation into full-fledged military units and formations is clearly visible. In particular, the Russian Ministry of Defense has already announced the formation of several new airborne divisions and five marine divisions.
The communication system, which has long remained one of the key problematic issues, is also being improved. Thus, in the Northern Military District zone, the latest communications systems are undergoing combat tests, and the volume of production and supply of well-proven systems, such as Azart, to the troops is expanding.
Taking into account the rapid pace of development of the defense industry in Russia, there is confidence that the technical characteristics of the samples will be improved, and the total number of communications equipment produced will cover all the needs of the units fighting in the Northwestern Military District zone.
A qualitative improvement in the command and control system allows Russian troops to effectively carry out all combat missions with minimal losses. Yes, it took us some time to improve the system of military development and organization of the Armed Forces; many mechanisms were fine-tuned in combat conditions and are still being improved.
However, the fundamental foundations of the Russian army have stood the test of a large-scale armed conflict, and eliminating the detected flaws always involves
with practical experience in the use of the Armed Forces.
Experience is the Son of Difficult Mistakes: The Evolution of the Russian Army on the Battlefield