ISW: Ukraine needs to rely more on traditional weapons in its defence

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say Ukraine must make greater use of traditional weapons systems, as Russian forces are exploiting weather conditions to identify vulnerabilities in Ukraine's defences with drones.

Source: ISW

Quote: "Russian forces used weather conditions to exploit vulnerabilities in Ukraine's drone-based battlefield defences in the Novopavlivka direction, highlighting Ukraine's need for traditional weapons systems."

Details: ISW cited a geolocation video published on 14 November showing Ukrainian forces striking Russian armoured vehicles north-east of Novopavlivka.

According to the analysts, Russian troops have recently been using foggy weather to launch attacks along the front, particularly towards Pokrovsk, Velykomykhailivka and Huliaipole.

The sector around Novopavlivka had been relatively quiet in recent weeks as Russian forces concentrated on advancing on Pokrovsk and attempting to close the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad pocket.

A mechanised company-level assault on Novopavlivka on 14 November after this lull illustrates how Russian troops are trying to exploit a key weakness in Ukraine's defence – the reduced effectiveness of Ukrainian drones in poor weather, such as fog and rain.

Quote: "Ukraine has thus far in the war based its defence on drones largely out of necessity. Ukraine's 'wall of drones' defensive barrier uses a large number of tactical strike drones and loitering munitions to destroy Russian manpower and equipment on the front line. Ukrainian forces adopted this defensive approach in part to offset manpower and equipment shortages while protecting over 1,200 km of front line from Russian advances."

Details: ISW adds that insufficiently fortified Ukrainian positions have contributed to recent Russian infiltration attempts, while shortages of artillery and other traditional systems have limited Ukraine's ability to respond when bad weather hampers drone operations.

Quote: "Western provisions of traditional systems like artillery are key to Ukraine's ability to build out a layered defence system that is not dependent on any one type of weapon, such that the defences are vulnerable and exploitable. Russia's exploitation of this vulnerability further highlights the way that traditional weapons systems are not obsolete in modern warfare."

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