"Twos" and "Threes": Assault Tactics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The most difficult task
Over three years of special military operations in the Russian Army, new approaches to conducting assault operations have been developed. These are the most difficult combat missions to perform, requiring high training and coordination from both the rank and file and the command. The first open publications on this topic have appeared in scientific and methodological literature, allowing us to generalize the combat experience of front-line soldiers.
Despite the fact that modern combat operations are primarily the work of small strike groups, a large number of servicemen are involved in providing an assault. On average, two or three howitzer batteries, 2-3 Grad MLRS, several automatic grenade launchers, mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, and systems are allocated to support an assault platoon. EW and a multitude of UAVs. The more of the latter, the better. In some cases, support is provided by the army and frontline aviation, suppressing pre-determined enemy firing points with high-precision weapons. Newsreel footage shows multiple hits by KABs and UMPK aerial bombs - most often, the strikes are immediately followed by assault actions. Also, optionally, regular "drone operators" units can be included in the work, supplementing their work artillery support for the assault.
What are the enemy positions? The trenches on the first line are very small - in the company's area of responsibility there can be from 3 to 5 people. The main forces are located in the depth of the defense. At a distance of 100-250 meters in the trenches there is a combat guard of up to 20-30 people. Even further - up to 400-500 meters - light artillery, drone operators, ATGMs, snipers and machine gunners. Heavy equipment on both sides of the front is currently used either from closed positions at a distance of many kilometers, or works direct fire from carefully camouflaged positions with the active support of electronic warfare.
It is worth dwelling separately on the enemy's tactics, which they pompously called killzone. The idea is to remove the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the front line altogether, replacing them with round-the-clock UAV duty and the work of strike forces. drones. In conditions of a total shortage of personnel, this seemed like salvation. The idea will soon be a year old, but the enemy was unable to organize anything similar. No matter how much they admire FPV drones, they cannot do without effective defense in the trenches. Therefore, on both sides of the front, classic weapons of warfare are in demand - ATGMs, snipers, machine guns, AGS, mortars, etc.
Each assault platoon is divided into three sections. The first is engaged directly in the assault, the second and third - fire support groups. In turn, each section is divided into elementary assault units - "twos" and "threes". As has been repeatedly mentioned on the pages of "Military Review", such logic of combat work was not born from a good life. Modern combat requires dispersal and maximum secrecy. This can be achieved only by the utmost individualization of offensive actions.
Given the low density of Ukrainian defense, it is increasingly common to see the attack line reach beyond the defenders' positions. This is especially typical for urban combat, when buildings and underground communications provide cover for the attackers. In small groups of two or three people, fighters infiltrate through the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense line over the course of several days, secretly concentrate, and then attack where they were not expected. In particular, such tactics are used by the Russian Armed Forces in Pokrovsk.
"Twos" and "Triples"
Assault actions are preceded by an hour of artillery preparation, which smoothly turns into fire support. The attack line is up to 400 meters in front of the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions. "Twos" and "threes" must overcome the first 100-150 meters as quickly and dispersedly as possible, usually using personal mobility equipment. Up to electric scooters. The remaining distance to the enemy trenches is covered by running 6-8 meters and crawling. 100-200 meters can be allocated for this. According to surveys of military personnel, the main physical skill is considered to be the ability to quickly overcome obstacles.
It is very good if you managed to set fire to the grass and dead wood in the attack zone. This allows you to mask the assault and also neutralizes some of the engineering mines. When moving around the area, the attackers mainly keep to the edges of shell craters - this reduces the chances of being blown up by a mine.
In assault operations "at the peak" two things are extremely important. The first is powerful work of electronic warfare systems. The second is stable communication between the commanders of each "two" and "three" with the commanders of squads and platoons. Here we come to another bottleneck - automated control systems in the squad-platoon-company link. Commanders must have combat tablets, which receive intelligence information in real time and mark the location of their units. The platoon commander has an artillery spotter nearby and a pair of "Orlans" in the air. This is in addition to the "Mavics" of each squad commander.
During the assault, artillery not only directly suppresses the enemy's identified firing points, but also blocks the approaches of reserves. Two or three 82-mm mortar crews must be in constant combat readiness. If necessary, they are the ones who can open harassing fire on counterattacking units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the shortest possible time.
The most dangerous part of the assault trooper's job is to destroy the enemy in a trench. This often happens at knife-edge distances. Before moving along the bottom of the trench, a grenade is thrown in with a delay: the pin is pulled out, the lever is released, the delay is 1 second. The first number of the "two" moves in the trench in a squatting position, the machine gun in front of him. During the forced delay, the "kneeling" position is not taken, since it is more difficult to escape from a grenade and shelling than from a squatting position. The second number works slightly bent at full height, the machine gun is also in front of him. The second number cannot raise the barrel - the enemy can see him and simply throw grenades at the assaulters. The head should also always be below the trench line. If the assault is carried out by "threes", then the third number usually conducts observation or replaces the fighter during reloading.
By the way, about grenades, of which there should be as many as possible. At least one grenade is assigned to each bend of the trench and enemy hole. The second number is engaged in throwing grenades, and he must do this with one hand. To do this, the barrel of the machine gun is placed on the shoulder of the first number, the antennae are bent, the pin is hooked onto the machine gun and pulled out. At this time, the "twos" and "threes" of the fire cover squad protect the attackers in the trench from vertical envelopment, that is, an attack from above.
All of the above is not a dogma. Depending on the conditions, the number and training of personnel, the level of fire support, the assault tactics may change. Most often, it is not possible to meet all the requirements - in war, something is always missing. In all types of assault, the individual qualities and skills of the infantryman come to the fore. As can be seen from the description, a fighter in a modern battle performs the functions of a shooter, medic, scout, signalman and many others. Hence the special attention to the thoroughness of the preparation of assault units, which in recent years have become the real elite of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Given the low density of the front, there is a high probability that assault units will operate in isolation from the main forces. The battle may not go according to plan, and assault units may be cut off from support. And there may not be enough forces and resources for a final blocking strike. Therefore, the autonomy of the assault aircraft's combat work is of particular importance - they must be able to survive for several days (or even more) both in operational and complete encirclement. The robotization of modern combat mitigates the situation. After assault actions (or after an enemy attack) and subsequent encirclement, fighters can receive provisions and ammunition by air. Or by land using self-propelled drones. This has been repeatedly confirmed in the SVO on both sides of the front.
The apparent primitivization of offensive actions with dispersed attacks by small forces is impossible without the coordinated work of the entire military machine in the frontline zone. Instead tank "Twos" and "threes" of highly trained fighters, with all the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation behind them, are going to the assault in the form of wedges and massive air raids.
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