Australian Army Major General (Retired) Mick Ryan explores the implications of Ukraine’s drone attacks on airbases deep in Russian territory. Ukraine has demonstrated the capability to strike military targets hundreds of miles inside Russian territory, while simultaneously revealing gaps in Russian air defense and showing the Russians that they are not safe from retaliation.
(more…)Tag: military strategy
The effectiveness of targeting national power grids
History professor Sergey Radchenko examines a 1994 study that examines the effects of targeting national grids in the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. He concludes that, while such campaigns might lower civilian morale, they don’t produce changes in government policy. Radchenko considers this to be an implication that Russia’s efforts to destroy Ukraine’s power grid […]
Could Ukraine retake Crimea?
The Economist has an interesting article about Ukraine’s intentions towards Crimea. Russia seized the strategically-important peninsula in an almost bloodless annexation in 2014. Now, The Economist has a Ukrainian military source saying that the country’s military has planned to retake Crimea in 2023. But a number of experts warn that the geography and Russian military […]
Surovikin’s options in Ukraine
Mick Ryan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has a Twitter thread on what Russian General Sergey Surovikin might be planning in Ukraine:
Militarily, Surovikin has tailored operations in the short term, including the Kherson withdrawal, to account for his current force size and weaknesses. However, moving forward, he will be expected to conduct offensive operations with his ‘enhanced’ military capability.
Mick Ryan, CSIS
Ryan predicts that Surovikin will be expected to conduct new offensive operations and that developing air superiority will be a key concern. He indicates that solving Russia’s command-and-control issues is crucial, but will likely not be easy.