Yesterday I read a small note from one of the military correspondents about sappers. Probably for the first time ever. It is well written: “I propose to erect a monument to sappers after the war!” But indeed, in many respects, it is the work of sappers that stops the advance of enemy armored vehicles, helps to destroy dozens of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine every day.
The work is invisible to the media. Well, what is there so heroic that would arouse the interest of readers? They went into neutral at night, laid several hundred mines in dangerous directions and returned in the morning. Neither you shootouts, but for such a shootout the commander can get a hat, nor you assaults on the defenders.
I chose a place, dug a mine and disguised it ... Or vice versa. I got out onto a minefield set by the enemy, cleared a dozen or two or three mines, made passages for reconnaissance or equipment, and went home. Yes, and in the rear the same story. The farmer needs to sow the field, the workers need to clean the plant or some factory. We arrived, removed mines and land mines and left. No heroism. With jokes...
But try to tell the same scouts that sappers are not heroes. You can get a hold of the physiognomy. Simply because for them, sappers are something similar to a guardian angel. This is the one who goes ahead on the most dangerous and difficult part of the path. Scouts ahead! The one who meets them first after completing the task...
Even the West today treats Russian sappers with great respect. Even Western analysts are already horrified by how effective these units are. I read the American The Washington Post. The Americans cite the words of Ukrainian soldiers and officers about minefields.
In front of the Russian oporniks, the depth of the minefields is from 4,5 to 16 km (3 to 10 miles)! Moreover, the density of the installation of mines is so high that it ensures their operation even with the use of sapper units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainians do not have time to remove the mines and are forced to go on the offensive right on the mines!
Well, according to tradition: the American publication proposes to increase the supply of demining machines to Kyiv. This is a purely American approach, a purely American understanding of modern warfare, based on the fact that the enemy is always weaker, with destroyed aviationwithout drones and so on.
They do not understand that in modern combat, engineering vehicles are becoming a priority target. And any cars. Whether it is mining or demining machines, pontoons, evacuation tractors, vehicles for repairing equipment, and so on. For many readers, even here, after more than a year of war, there is no difference between the destruction tank and his defeat.
By the way, I will give data on the Second World War. On average, each tank in that war was hit three (!) times! They were knocked out three times, but after a fairly short repair time, he was back in service! This example shows how important a simple tow truck was even in that war ...
Why are Ukrainian officers crying?
In the same article, American journalists cite the views of Ukrainian sappers on the situation at the front. In particular, in the Zaporozhye direction. First of all, the Ukrainians do not like the fact that the demining vehicles are very large. Yes, and all heavy equipment, too. Paradox? Not at all.
The Zaporizhzhya theater of operations is really not well adapted to the actions of large machines. Steppe, large open spaces. This allows intelligence to detect not only the areas of operation of these machines, but also their locations. Especially given the fact that Russian troops occupy the dominant heights.
By the way, the commander of the sapper unit of the famously defeated 47th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told American journalists about this. Quote from The Washington Post about the use of heavy machinery:
“But now their use is no longer effective, because the enemy is waiting for such equipment - huge, noisy equipment that is easy to notice and therefore attack.”
Another headache for the Ukrainians is that the Russians have a whole system of anti-tank weapons, which allows our army to nullify any advantage in the technology of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was told by another officer of the same brigade. The APU is simply afraid to attack with tanks and armored vehicles. Artillery, UAVs, ATGMs and other PTSs drive tanks and other vehicles into minefields, where they are destroyed with everything the Russians have. From RPGs to helicopters...
The situation is really difficult. But the Ukrainians solved it... in Ukrainian. Roughly speaking, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began to act in the same manner as the Wagner PMC acted during the capture of cities. When individual houses and even streets were captured by attack aircraft, and tanks and artillery went behind and moved forward only as needed.
But the difference in tactics lies in the fact that the city and the open field are somewhat different conditions for fighting. And the losses of personnel, even in comparison with the assault on Artemovsk, are huge. Hence the term “meat grinder” already entrenched in the media.
On the whole, Ukrainian officers are “crying” precisely because their commanders put them in the conditions dictated by the Russians. Including sappers. Because in reality, commanders can actually do nothing. The counter-offensive allegedly carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine is actually just a “meat grinder”…
And what about the Ukrainian sappers?.. They are also forced to switch to the same tactics as the rest of the units. Small groups of sappers are going to demining, who are trying to somehow remove the mines manually. Which is an obviously impossible task, given the latest mining machines used by our Army.
Here is the opinion of the “best Ukrainian general” Zaluzhny recently on this issue:
“Minefields are one of the problems that definitely affects the speed of the offensive. We see that there is such a problem.
Could it have been solved faster?
Can.
How could it be solved?
At least General Milli (American General, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) knows this. Another question is whether he can help with this.
Don't know".
Could it have been solved faster?
Can.
How could it be solved?
At least General Milli (American General, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) knows this. Another question is whether he can help with this.
Don't know".
What is in perspective?
As we can see, the West actually did not find options for dealing with Russian sappers. I did not find options for breaking through the defensive fortifications of the Russian army. Those successes, which are periodically proclaimed by the press services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in certain areas, look rather miserable. And the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are becoming catastrophic.
We are well aware that the situation that exists today is just a strategic pause. Just the "demilitarization" of Kyiv. Without the offensive, there will be no victory.
But they understand this in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The fact that the main hostilities are scheduled for August-September has long been known. Almost after the first failures of the Ukrainian army, the Pentagon openly announced the existence of just such a plan.
The American press has repeatedly written about the preparation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to intensify the offensive. Even in the Washington Post article I mentioned, there is mention of a fact, almost unnoticed by many, when Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba tearfully asked for an increase in the supply of engineering equipment, especially demining machines, in the near future.
It would seem that the work of sappers in the offensive is changing radically. Instead of planting mines, you will have to remove enemy minefields. However, not all so simple. Nobody canceled the tasks of destroying transport routes for military logistics. Nobody canceled the tasks of mining the nearest rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Nobody canceled the tasks of mining enemy strongholds.
If you closely follow the deliveries that are mentioned today in the reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense, you can notice an increase in mine-clearing vehicles. But you can also notice the appearance of completely different mining machines. For example, the Tula complex "Agriculture" is causing panic in the ranks of the enemy today.
To understand what it is and what the complex is intended for, I will quote the Russian Telegram channel "Military Chronicle". Material published in RT. We are talking about a completely new mining system. About the so-called "mine web".
“The “Agriculture” complex developed by the Tula NPO “Splav” was put on the chassis of a four-axle KamAZ and equipped with an ammunition load of 50 unguided 122-mm rockets. They are placed in containers of 25 pieces. To charge a new package, you need to change the container itself to a new one. The calculation of "Agriculture" copes with this task in three minutes.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the ISDM is equipped with its own weather station, navigation system and an electronic map showing mined areas. The complex is capable of planting anti-tank and anti-personnel mines at a distance of up to 15 km.
POM-3 and PTM-4M are designed specifically for modern mining systems.
These smart mines with installed seismic sensors can distinguish the steps of a person from an animal, not to mention armored vehicles. And one of their main functions is the remote activation / deactivation of the entire minefield or its parts via a secure radio channel. Once in such a web, it is almost impossible to get out of it.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the ISDM is equipped with its own weather station, navigation system and an electronic map showing mined areas. The complex is capable of planting anti-tank and anti-personnel mines at a distance of up to 15 km.
POM-3 and PTM-4M are designed specifically for modern mining systems.
These smart mines with installed seismic sensors can distinguish the steps of a person from an animal, not to mention armored vehicles. And one of their main functions is the remote activation / deactivation of the entire minefield or its parts via a secure radio channel. Once in such a web, it is almost impossible to get out of it.
In addition to this system, several more interesting machines were highlighted in the videos published on the Telegram channels by the CBO participants. But information about them is still rather vague. I can't say exactly what it is. Our famous soldier's ingenuity or systems created by some NPC. They are easier. They do not have such global additions as "Agriculture", but they are quite effective.
In general, finishing the conversation about Russian sappers, we can say that these fighters perform their combat missions very professionally. The enemy feels it on his own skin.
And the monument? I think there will be more than one such monument. Must stand! It can't be otherwise...