Ukraine focusing on Russian artillery logistics — report
Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade / Telegram
Ukrainian troops have shifted to using drones to target
Russian ammunition convoys to degrade enemy
artillery, Forbes reported
on April 20.
“Artillery remains the center of the Russian formation, with the Russian military deploying thousands of systems across its 600-mile front with Ukraine,” Vikram Mittal writes.
The systems range from old howitzers pulled from storage to the most modern artillery platforms. Given the width and depth of the battlefield, Mittal suggested, it is impractical for Ukraine to try to hit every individual artillery piece.
“As such, open-source analysts have reported that Ukraine has adopted a new strategy, targeting the resupply convoys carrying the large volumes of shells required by each artillery piece. In doing so, Ukraine is disrupting the core of Russian military operations,” the article continues.
According to the report, Russia has had to return older, Soviet-era systems to service, such as the 152mm D-20 howitzer.
To keep those guns firing, the article said, the older howitzers need a steady flow of ammunition. Russia is reportedly firing ammunition at a high rate, launching about 10,000 to 15,000 artillery shells a day. Those munitions are transported by truck along road networks to artillery positions, where they are handed off to gun crews.
“In addition to following predictable paths, these ammunition trucks are relatively easy targets,” the report said.
“Given their weight and wheeled design, they cannot easily maneuver off-road to evade drones. These heavily loaded vehicles also lack the capacity to carry extensive counter-drone protections, such as hedgehog or turtle-style defenses. As a result, a single strike drone is often sufficient to detonate the carried ammunition, destroying the vehicle in the process.”
Ukraine has increasingly targeted transport vehicles carrying ammunition, sometimes striking them up to 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) beyond Russian defensive lines as they travel those routes. In some cases, drones waited on the roadside to conserve battery power until an ammo convoy passed. The drone then takes off, follows the vehicle and strikes, often aiming for the fuel tank, Forbes reported.
“In the near term, Ukraine’s current approach provides a
clear advantage, limiting the effectiveness of Russian artillery and
constraining offensive operations,” the report concluded.
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