Forbes columnist David Axe drew attention to the fact that Russian occupiers in the Kursk region began using a long-forgotten World War II technology to cross rivers.
Points of attention
- Modified BTR-D amphibious vehicles used by the Russian army remain vulnerable to Ukrainian weapons.
- Ukrainian troops are actively attacking bridges and spans in the Kursk region, blocking the enemy's advance.
The Russian army resorts to old methods of warfare
As the expert recalled, during World War II, some armies, including the British, attached metal spans to the upper part of tank chassis and used the resulting "funny bridges" to quickly cross gaps.
Despite the fact that 80 years have passed since then, the Russian army does not shy away from using “ridiculous” technologies to retake its own territories from the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
In the Kursk region of western Russia, Russian airborne troops deploy modified BTR-D amphibious vehicles in the same way: piling what looks like wooden flooring onto 13-ton tracked vehicles and rolling them into rivers. As they sink into muddy riverbeds, the vehicles’ makeshift surfaces act as bridges, says David Axe.
The analyst draws attention to the fact that the BTR-D are most active on the western edge of the Kursk salient.
What is important to understand is that in order for Russian soldiers to attack Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters in and around the village of Dar'ino, they must first cross the Snagost River.
Why the Russian Army's Technology Is Not Effective
As David Axe notes, in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly attack civilian bridges and any conventional or pontoon spans built by Russian engineers.
In addition, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not forget to fire on the bridge transporters specially built by the Russians.
Although the BTR-Ds are as vulnerable to Ukrainian mines, missiles, artillery and drones as any combat vehicle, they are fast and can reach road speeds of around 40 miles per hour, making them less vulnerable than permanent bridges or slow engineering vehicles, the analyst writes.
According to the latest data, since November, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have shot down at least two Russian BTR-Ds.
