“That’s probably how the Russians are fighting today”
Until very recently, the rebels have been fighting with small group tactics. Even when groups came together for a larger operation, it was still fought at the small group level of command.
It has given them an incredible level of flexibility, and ability to respond to Kiev’s moves. It worked because so many “Grey Beards”, men with prior service, in their 40’s-50’s, made up the vast majority of the rebels. Even now, while Kiev is putting kids in the field, they are going up against rebels that are much older.
The Russians biggest contribution, brought in during the last Ceasefire, is a Coordinated Command and Control Network, that allows all groups to work together.
Larger tactical groups of say 100-300, but still operating at the level of small group tactics, of 20-30 fighters.
To paraphrase, this ain’t your Grandpa’s Soviet army.
Interesting report on ‘Lviv’ Ukraine one of the three western towns where the push with Maiden originated..they’re avoiding the draft.
Out of a population of 3,000 potential soldiers, it has 19 men at the front, four recovering from injuries, and — as of last month — one death.
Kiev’s 100,000 call-up notices with the aim of mobilizing at least half....no one denies the seriousness of the stakes in the east, “few are eager to fight”.
Military prosecutors have reportedly launched as many as 1,300 criminal cases against draft dodgers.
In Lviv, military authorities last week set up roadblocks around the city, using routine traffic stops as an attempt to catch draft dodgers. The tactic was abandoned after less than two days. But in that time,.. says Oleksandr Tishchenko, the military commander for Lviv Oblast,... dozens of offenders were served notice.
“A lot of people are attempting to avoid mobilization,” he says. “We get messages that they’re abroad, or on a business trip, or that they no longer live at a certain address. But as we discovered, they’re freely driving around Lviv.”
More than 2,000 people who have received call-ups have failed to show up for registration, Tishchenko adds.
http://www.rferl.org/content/western-ukraine-lviv-mobilization-patriotism/26851008.html
Interesting photos of Debaltseve war zone...photographer Max Avdeev embedded with the First Slavyansk Brigade of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic
(WARNING: Several of the following images are NSFW and extremely graphic....bodies are shown in some)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/avdeev/horrific-images-capture-the-sheer-brutality-of-ukraine-war#.jiO1OvrV0