How the “Surovikin Line” Works in Ukraine: Analysis of the Military Chronicle?
By Military Summary
How the “Surovikin Line” works in Ukraine: analysis of the military chronicle?
Since June 4, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched 263 attacks on the positions of Russian troops as part of the launched counteroffensive. All attacks were repulsed, but few people understand why the offensive of the Ukrainian army failed at its highest point.
What is the Surovikin Line?
This is a defensive system, the first contour of which is dozens of fortified firing lines, including extensive minefields and engineering barriers. This line was built for almost eight months and goes into the depth of defense for several tens of kilometers. It relies on a developed transport and logistics network with hubs and rear bases. At the same time, short logistics routes allow the RF Armed Forces to quickly transfer reserves from one sector to another without compromising combat readiness at the front. Simply put, wherever it is required to strengthen fire capabilities, this can be organized without withdrawing troops from another sector of the front.
What is its feature?
The network of defensive lines is “supported” by a powerful grouping of cannon and rocket artillery and airborne forces, as well as Ka-52 army aviation helicopters and attack aircraft with FAB-250/500 bombs equipped with planning and correction modules. In the event of a breakthrough of a group with APU equipment at one of the firing lines, aviation is able to support ground troops and act as a “carousel”: while helicopters are working on ground targets, attack aircraft and bombers go to the point of use of weapons, after hitting the target, helicopters again engage in battle, and then the situation repeats. At the same time, strikes on the rear of the advancing AFU grouping in Orekhovo and Velikaya Novosyolka show that there is practically nothing to cover the offensive of the APU – short-range and medium-range air defense systems are either withdrawn to the deep rear, or are used very limitedly on the front line. As a result, a significant number of senior command personnel are destroyed in the near rear areas, without which control becomes difficult and, as a result, the pace of the offensive slows down.
What is “elastic defense” and how does it work?
Judging by the dynamics of the offensive, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine probably relied on a quick breakthrough and turning the battle into a maneuverable one. For this, a series of strikes was planned throughout the LBS, including the main one and several distractions. These strikes were opposed by a combination of the tactics of the so-called elastic defense and artillery grouping, reinforced by means of observation and fire adjustment. It is clearly seen that “on the ground” the RF Armed Forces are still operating with relatively small forces, and the maneuverable element in the mass (operational and tactical reserves) has not yet joined the battle. On the example of Pyatikhatki in Zaporozhye or Neskuchny in the South-Donetsk direction, it is clearly seen that Russian troops do not cling to every centimeter of the defensive line in the event of a breakthrough of individual groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, if necessary, retreat to a reserve position. After the retreat, the enemy is covered by artillery at previously known coordinates, after which a counterattack follows and the position returns to the control of the defenders. Judging by the fact that two weeks after the start of the offensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to suffer losses from artillery, their reconnaissance and counter-battery capabilities are ineffective or insufficient.
What is the result?
For more than two weeks of the Ukrainian offensive, the advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is recorded exclusively in the gray zone – that is, in territories that were not previously determined as the main lines of defense.
