Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
“The era when sheer numbers of men decided everything is over,” he says.
When a conflict drags on for years, rumors about massive troop call-ups tend to swirl and create anxiety.
Yet military experts argue that simply flooding a battlefield with thousands of extra soldiers no longer guarantees a victory, as he nature of modern combat has fundamentally shifted.
So does Ukraine fear a possible Russian mobilization?
A shifting battlefield
A prominent Ukrainian defense official recently addressed public fears regarding a fresh wave of troop deployments from Moscow. Discussing the situation on his personal blog, Sergei “Flash” Beskrestnov, who is the advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, shared a reassuring assessment online.
Writing on his blog, “Flash” acknowledged that additional hostile units would inevitably create fresh hurdles. He firmly dismissed the idea of an impending disaster, however.
According to the advisor’s blog, defending troops currently maintain a distinct tactical edge in the “small sky.” This concept refers to the dense, low-altitude airspace where remote-controlled devices rule.
Article continues below.
Click to display external content from iFrames except google ads,
- You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Drones over armor
Beskrestnov explained that heavy military machinery struggles to survive under constant aerial surveillance.
The daily reality of frontline engagements now strongly favors small, remote-controlled devices over traditional mechanized pushes.
“War has changed a long time ago… Any tank or vehicle won’t last more than an hour on the battlefield. Drones will destroy them. Assaults using vehicles have become a rarity now. Will there be mass raids by manpower, like the USSR did in World War II? Our guys will be actively targeting them with FPV… Right now, the unmanned units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces aren’t fulfilling their assigned elimination plans: there are drones, but not so many enemies,” he stated on his blog.
Numbers do not win
Defensive factions are already actively building up supply reserves to counter any potential surge in hostile manpower.
In a later section of the post, “Flash” expressed doubt that calling up vast numbers of troops is a realistic or effective strategy right now.
“The era when sheer numbers of men decided everything is over. And our enemy understands this. If infantry mobilization could have radically and quickly changed anything, it would have happened long ago. Please note that I haven’t even touched on the social, financial, or political aspects of such a decision,” he emphasized on his blog.
Sources: Dialog.ua, Facbook post from Sergei “Flash” Beskrestnov
