William Molinié, edited by Corentin Alloune / Photo credit: STRINGER / AFP
The Ukrainian counter-offensive will be long and gradual. It is a conviction of the Western staffs. Don’t expect a quick ending. And this for a very simple reason: the Russian army, now in a defensive position, has adapted to Western combat techniques.
The Kremlin nicknamed it the “Fabergé” line, named after the jeweler of the Russian tsars. In reality, there are six successive lines of defense, 30 kilometers deep, which extend from one end of the front to the other. In one of the corridors, the Russian army has built trenches, positioned anti-tank obstacles and buried its old T54 tanks taken out of storage this winter to make them sort of casemates.
Fearsome points of support to hold positions
From a high-intensity war, a few months ago, “we have moved into a long and slow-intensity war”, observes a Western military source. Russia adapts daily to new technologies developed by Ukrainians.
According to a senior French officer, they only need fifteen days to find a solution to a new drone system. And so kyiv must be even more creative to divert the countermeasures deployed by the Russians.
For example, the mini drones used on the front have a lifespan of four to five flights. Ukrainians would lose up to 300 devices every day. So much so that supply networks are being set up all over Europe. Toy drones or professional drones. Civilian aid channels to Ukraine are scouring all the shops to get any device that could be useful on the front line.