Defensive position behind front
New pictures show Russian “Wagner” line
10/22/2022, 09:49 am
In Ukraine, attention is mainly focused on the south, on Cherson and the dam there. But the Russians are also securing their positions in the east. However, around 50 kilometers behind the current front. Are you assuming a loss of territory?
In the Luhansk region of Ukraine, Russian troops have been building a defensive line on the outskirts of Hirske for days. Current satellite images from the provider Maxar and new Russian propaganda images now provide a detailed view of the defensive position. You can see hundreds of small concrete pyramids erected on two lines. Apparently they are supposed to stop Ukrainian military vehicles. It is striking how far away this line is from the current front line. Hirske is about 25 kilometers south of Lysychansk, which is under Russian control, and a good 50 kilometers east of Bakhmut, where the front is currently running and where the Russians are actually attacking, i.e. moving forward.
In the Russian media, the concrete blocks arranged in two double rows over a length of about 1.6 kilometers near Hirske are now also referred to as the “Wagner Line”, in reference to the Russian mercenary troops, which are now an important pillar of the Russian campaign and for the construction should be responsible. The Russian portal Riafan has published several photos of the defensive position in the past few days. The company belongs to the media group of Putin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin, who claims to have founded the Wagner Group.
“A fortification will be built along the line of contact,” Prigozhin announced on Twitter a few days ago. He boasted that the fortifications weren’t actually necessary because “the presence of a Wagner unit at the front” was already an “insurmountable wall”.
Riafan speaks of a “second line of defense” should the Ukrainians break through there. It is not surprising that preparations are under way – this is the region where the Ukrainians made surprisingly large gains in September. Given the short length, however, there could be opportunities for Ukrainian forces to bypass the line. An important road to Luhansk, the important regional capital, runs near Hirske. The region of the same name is one of the territories recently annexed by Russia.
View of Hirske (Ukr. Гірське): The road to Wrubiwka runs north of the blocking line, and the railway line to the local coal mine runs to the south.
(Photo: Map data © OpenStreepMap contributors, SRTM | Map rendering: © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA))
The historian Christian Hartmann expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such rigid defense systems, especially in today’s drone age. “Such ancient buildings have more of a propagandistic and psychological meaning for the defenders,” said the head of the deployment research department at the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences last week in an interview with ntv.de. “In general, obstacles are always good. Not only can they help repel an attack, but they can also channel it.” However, the defender’s available reserves are decisive for holding such a line.
CNN quotes a Russian newspaper as saying that there are plans to expand the line from the Russian-Ukrainian border to Kreminna and then south to Svitlodarsk. In that case, it would have to be extended by almost 100 kilometers on the latter north-south section alone. According to a calculation by the transmitter, a total of 217 kilometers would have to be fixed. However, further construction activities could not be seen on satellite images.