How he Fights: Reflections on Russia as a Fighting Force from a Kiwi Fighter in Ukraine

The following is an account on the state of the Russian military as a fighting force and their effectiveness. @kaneactual (IG) is a Kiwi infantry veteran currently in Ukraine.

ALCON: Based on your recent experience, what's your opinion on the Russians as a fighting force?

@Kaneactual: My opinions on Russia as a fighting force is that they are a military that is following a doctrine that is killing them. Yes, they may have the people to lose, the ammunition to squander but ever more hastily they are heading towards social ruin. More intercepts are being taken from Russian Soldiers talking to their families, the curtain is beginning to fall again.

Hard facts though? If we look at the what we are seeing, there are a few shifts in the Southern and North Eastern lines. After the Ukrainian successes in Izyum and Kherson, the retreating troops were rumoured to fill the ranks in the Donbas area. Places like Bakhmut, which is locked in a stalemate and the Donetsk region by Pavlivka and Vuhledar. Still varying degrees of success and loss but primarily a lack of ground for pound. The amount of people they are losing whilst taking ground that may be just a moral victory could be costly.

On Morale

Their morale at the moment is at a low that is only going to increase. The mornings are getting more colder and we've only just started the winter season. Our drone surveillance is showing they have a lack of winter clothing and the supply chain is getting further away because of recent successes with Ukrainian long range weapons targeting these points. The Russians didn't start out the season with much to celebrate, now they'll have to maintain what little they do have.

On Winter

At the moment, being winter, the capabilities of both sides are hindered. The trees have lost their leaves so in a war where the fighting is done in tree lines, for the most part, it's difficult to move undetected. The main strategy was, and to some degree still is, obtain what good positions you can get and improve them before the worst of winter hits. Vehicles will see varying degrees of success. The wet mud of the last season is being replaced by slippery roads and anything without tracks will find it hard to mobilize.

On Russian Tactics