Kathrine Frich
Denying them even a single kilometer of territory creates a political problem for the Kremlin.
The rules of modern warfare rewrite themselves faster than anyone can predict.
Tactics that secured victories just a few years ago are already gathering dust. Now, soldiers have found a wild new way to survive.
Moving beneath the earth
The fighting across parts of the eastern front line is no longer happening in open trenches. Entire units have dug deep into the soil to escape constant aerial bombardment.
According to the Kyiv Post cited by Onet, troops are launching coordinated assaults from subterranean bunkers. Ihor Obolenskiy, commander of the 2nd National Guard Corps, detailed this shift.
Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, the commander explained how his soldiers adapted. “Currently, in our corps’ zone of responsibility, the battlefield has moved underground,” Obolenskiy stated.
Beating the enemy
Russian forces actually pioneered this subterranean approach. But the defenders quickly caught up.
“The West has no experience fighting this way. Russia was the first to go underground, but we have become more effective at it,” the commander pointed out.
Obolenskiy noted that battlefield technology evolves at a dizzying pace. Tactics that worked perfectly two years ago are completely obsolete today.
“And we are more effective there than the Russians,” he added, highlighting how his units launch attacks directly from their hidden bunkers.
The human element
This rapid evolution forces constant changes in how the military defends the skies. Russia is busy developing faster jet-powered attack drones.
Yet, even with the focus on advanced technology, boots on the ground still matter most. A war cannot be won by machines alone.
“The soldier remains the most important. Please do not change this focus under any circumstances,” Obolenskiy urged the audience.
He warned that Moscow will keep hitting civilian targets. “Russia will continue to attack Ukrainian cities as long as its forces can demonstrate progress on the battlefield,” he said.
Stopping the advance
The overarching goal is to freeze the invading forces in their tracks. Denying them even a single kilometer of territory creates a political problem for the Kremlin.
“As soon as the front is stopped, as soon as Moscow stops achieving success without gaining a single kilometer, then the question that both Moscow and Putin will have to face will arise: why are you fighting? Why aren’t you advancing?” the commander said.
To hold that line, the Kyiv Post noted he asked international partners for money, industrial technology, and military training.
He suggested Western allies should pay for half of the country’s domestic drone manufacturing. That creates local jobs while giving allied economies a boost.
Sources: Kyiv Post, Onet
