Some Russian Troops Are Surrendering Rather Than Fighting, Pentagon Says
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Some Russian Troops Are Surrendering Rather Than Fighting, Pentagon Says
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W ASHINGTON — Plagued by poor morale as well as fuel and food shortages, some Russian troops in Ukraine have surrendered en masse or sabotaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday.
Some entire Russian units have laid down their arms without a fight after confronting surprisingly stiff Ukrainian defense, the official said. A significant number of the Russian troops are young conscripts who are poorly trained and ill-prepared for the all-out assault. And in some cases, Russian troops have deliberately punched holes in their vehicles’ gas tanks, presumably to avoid combat, the official said.
The Pentagon official declined to say how the military made these assessments — presumably a mosaic of intelligence including statements from captured Russian soldiers and communications intercepts — or how widespread these setbacks may be across the sprawling battlefield. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational developments.
But taken together, these factors may help explain why Russian forces, including an ominous 40-mile convoy of tanks and armored vehicles near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, have come to a near crawl in the past day or two, U.S. officials said.
Besides dealing with shortages of fuel, food and spare parts, the Pentagon official said, Russian commanders leading that armored column toward Kyiv may also be “regrouping and rethinking” their battle plans, making adjustments on the fly to gain momentum for what U.S. intelligence and military officials say is an inevitable push in the next several days to encircle and ultimately capture the capital.
“They have a lot of power available to them,” said the Pentagon official, adding that 80 percent of the more than 150,000 Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s borders have now joined the fight.
But U.S. analysts have been struck by the “risk-averse behavior” of such a large force, the Pentagon official said. Russia launched an amphibious landing to seize Mariupol, a pivotal port city on the Sea of Azov, but landed forces around 40 miles from the city. That allowed the Russians extra time and space to mount an invasion, but also gave the city’s defenders time to prepare.
Russia’s vaunted air force has yet to gain air superiority over Ukraine, with Russian warplanes thwarted by Ukrainian fighter jets and a surprisingly resilient and potent array of air defenses, from shoulder-fired Stinger antiaircraft missiles to much larger surface-to-air weapons, the Pentagon official said.
For Russian forces coming out of Belarus, logistics problems have proved stubborn, a European official said on Tuesday.
Ahead of the invasion, U.S. and British intelligence had raised questions about the supply chain for the Russian troops in Belarus. During military exercises there, some of the soldiers were getting inadequate supplies of food and fuel, according to independent analysts. But American officials told allies that the Russians had fixed those problems by mid-February, which was one reason that American warnings about the invasion intensified in the middle of last month, according to the European official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational developments.
But the challenges that Russian forces have faced show that their supply chain troubles have not been completely resolved, the European official said.
The logistics failures may help explain the presence of the long, slow-moving convoy of military equipment that is coming toward Kyiv, a tactical failure that is presenting a key target for the Ukrainian military, the European official said.
Russian officials, the European official said, expected to have secured air supremacy, at least around Kyiv. But the fact that Ukrainian air defense systems were still operating has put Russian aircraft in danger, as well as the convoy of equipment on the roads.
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Putin's look is going from bad to worse.
I certainly hope so. His megalomania has brought it all back upon himself!
I saw a video yesterday of two Russian tanks that had run out of fuel and a Ukrainian driving a car stopped and asked them if they needed a tow back to Russia and than laughed at them.
Frickin classic.
There's a smart phone video
of 2 Ukrainians walking a highway and describing the damages to the miles of vehicles damaged
and abandoned along miles of highways
Vehicle after empty vehicle with flats or burned out give way to two fuel carriers stuck deep in the soft mud of the swales along the
highway. Both trucks appear to be full of fuel but they are afraid to check.
Further up the road is clear evidence that the lead fuel truck had a massive transmission failure and swerved off the road
possibly with the other truck following and becoming stuck.
Much further up the road the 2 Ukrainians encounter a single T-72 tank and approach it very cautiously, calling out, banging on it
circling it complete to verify no physical damage.
The lead guy turns off his phone and loads his AK47 and backpack on the tank, climbs in, starts the tank and proceeds
to drive it back towards Ukrainian lines.
Apparently the whole Russian column quit and ran away....leaving their vehicles behind regardless of operational capacity?
one of them ordered an uber
I just read the Ukrainian government has told its citizens that they do not have to claim on their taxes any captured or abandoned , Russian equipment , they happen to come into possession of ...... freakin bean counters ..... so can we expect in 70 or 80 yrs , some farmer is found with a russian tank in his basement ?
Damn! We get taxed out the wazoo for a tank!
Not only that, we have to keep ours in a secure facility, (stored on JBLM) and have a hole cut in the barrel...
This AIN'T FAIR!!!
also read that Ukraine police and authorities are simplifying the purchase of civilian firearms in the stores , oh i cant wait to hear from the usual suspects here on thats little side news ......
Not sure how much simplifying they need to do. I read elsewhere that the Ukrainian government has given away something like 10,000 full-auto AK-47's.
I can just imagine some Ukrainian farmer looking out his front door and seeing a fully armed and combat ready T 90 main battle tank sitting on his front yard and telling his wife "Hey Ma, want to go for a drive?".
Yep, even ones that are demilled!
It's really amazing how badly the Russian army has performed. Poor morale, poor strategy and horrible logistics. Its make you really appreciate the genius of what the US military has been able to accomplish around the globe while watching Russia struggle to keep an Army afloat next door. I also saw reports today that the army is communicating on an open radio signal. Pretty much anyone in Europe who can speak Russian can hear the Russian army communicate up to the brigade level. That was staggeringly incompetent 100 years ago.
That said, the army is slowly taking more territory and starting to cut off Ukrainian Army units.
At some point, relatively soon, Russia will leave or be forced out of Ukraine , and all that will be left is the loss of human life for no good reason.
Absent Putin being toppled, I don't see that happening any time soon. They are going to keep pounding away.
Maybe months, maybe a couple years. That is all relatively soon. I dont think Russia is going to rule over Ukraine in anything like the long run.
Hedge that bet.
And that's the real tragedy
I don't think Putin gives a shit about anyone's life, Ukrainian or Russian.
Just his own…
I had not heard of the Russians communicating on an open radio channel...That is unbelievable.
Yes, they are taking more territory and they are paying in a lot of blood for it, now they have to hold it. Their overwhelming numbers in troops, tanks, APC, helicopters, fighter jets, and yet they have underperformed and I mean really underperformed.
As we discussed on another thread they are going to start attacking civilians to destroy morale. From what I have seen from the Ukrainians I don't see them quitting, they will eventually be overwhelmed but never will they quit, and if Putin thinks he can occupy Ukraine with the troops he has he is out of his mind. He is going to pay with a lot of Russian blood, but he doesn't care.
The "Presidante" of Belarus had a press conference today with a huge battlefield map,
bragging about how the Russians had located the Ukrainian prepositioned defensive batteries and how "we"
with the Russians help, took them out with missile barrages.
the new maps show Ukraine divided into 4 states ...with current Russian troop movements....
Broadcast live in Belarus....
A truly Bugs Bunny moment...
I'm waiting for that Acme co. anvil to fall on Putins head....
The longer this goes on, the worse the food and fuel situation is going to get for the Russkies.
This could well be over by midsummer
Four days ago, The Dutch sent four squadrons of F-16's to Romania. They did this for a reason. But I do not know what the reason is. Could the US and NATO be considering the use of air power against Russian aircraft and ground forces?
Hopefully the EU accepts UKraine on an emergency basis and NATO follows.
That would be game over for the russians
I know this outlandish-------but-------the possibility exists that in the Russian military and Politburo there is movement to drop Putin and start over on a different track.
Maybe Putin 'not so genius' after all. And for too many he has become a liability.
I'm guessing there's been some interesting conversations at the kremlin water cooler recently.
My thoughts too. After all, is Putin really worth all of this?
A squadron of A10 could be much more useful for Ukrainian forces than F16s.
What I would like to see is a dozen C130s drop hundreds of volunteer
Special Forces on either side of the convoy with fighter CAP and 2 or 3 AC130s mixed in which alone could decimate the entire 40 mile convoy
Just wishful thinking...
on the other hand, a couple squadrons of F16s could create numerous fire storms/road blocks to the convoy with
much higher probability of survivability than A_10s
Thats why i dont mind sharing what i see on that radar app i use , if a military flight is visible there , it is MEANT to be seen . Its when the transponders for civilian radar are turned off that things will be getting interesting to say the least .
And who is to say , that a C-130 or however many , havent been discreetly having pallets fall out of the back of the plane , "by accident " letting the wind currents take them into places they are not flying?
Now if that pallet happens to have cases of old C or K rats , or MREs , and they happen to fall in the hands of the russians , i hope they are "ham and MFers",(in the case of C-rats ,) or the old" 5 fingers of death " in the case of older MREs. Some of you older guys will know exactly what im wishing .
though some of the flights being identified from countries that one would think are not involved and on the "odd" side "
The only one so far that has surprised me , using that if they ping on radar , they are meant to be seen by everyone ( Russians and Ukrainians alike ) was the F-35 I spotted a safe distance but close enough to respond if something crossed the border.
Another thing i think about , is if these things are pinging on the simple app i use , the Ukrainians could use it as well,just think of the phycological impact it would have on both invaders and defenders .
Not really. The F-16 is an excellent fighter and ground support weapons platform.
Not sure, but I believe the F-16 has never been brought down by an opposing aircraft.
The A-10 is powerful but helpless without fighter protection.
Actually it's the F-15 that's never had a loss in air to air combat... The Israelis are reported to say that when you come upon a dog fight in an F-15, what you now have is the only fighter plane in the air and a whole bunch of targets.... (I believe the F-22 also belongs in that club)
The Airforce prior to full acceptance of the F-22 in service, sent one up in a simulated combat interception mission against a full flight of F-15's as the aggressor aircraft ... The F-15's were flown by five of the most experienced in the airforce, had four colonels and a major, all Red Flag aces...
The single F-22 blew them out of the sky... The F-22 pilot actually gave the senior F-15 pilot a chance by deliberately overflying him in gun range, allow him a shot on his tail... The F-15's radar gunsight couldn't lock on... All of the F-15 pilots reported that most of the time they didn't even know the F-22 was there until he fired... (and they took exception to the pilots chuckling about how easy it was)
The Russian Airforce wants no part of the US Airforce... In the air or on the ground...
I can just imagine the field day a couple of AC-130 Spectre's would have against that 40 mile long Russian column. That would be even better that A-10's. The 105 mm howitzer's on the AC-130 are much more potent than the GAU Avenger 30 mm!
A few "military advisors", , such as we did in Vietnam?
I like the idea of a few AC130s sent to Poland with the assurance that they will go to Ukraine. How well are the Poles trained in the operation of a few dozen Predator drones? A few shipping containers of Stinger missiles could also come in handy for the Ukrainians.
Thousands, with unmarked armor and vehicles borrowed from NATO
From your lips / keyboard to Gods ears/eyes.
It might make a good debate...
Our main battle tanks gave up the 105 when the T80 was upgraded with thicker armor to protect
themselves from the 105 DU rounds
The Abrams now have 120mm tcannons that cut through most russian armor.
Surprisingly the 30mm A-10 can disable any vehicle with DU.
It's possible that the 105 firing downward might be effective on most russian armor.
My favorite tank killer is the Israeli Wild Ass/Pereh essentially a 12 pack of javelins missile launcher
disguised as an older tank.
Yep, although they don't use them anymore, they were phased out about 5 years ago.... (after some 30 years of service)
"Pereh" is just a nickname, it is a anti-tank missile carrier, converted from a Magach 5 (M48A5) main battle tank. And no, the missile is very different than the Javelin with a range much farther than anything else that has been used... It fires the Tamuz, (more commonly known as Spike NLOS ) long-range anti-tank guided missiles with a range of up to 25 kilometers...
Weakest spot on most armored vehicles is a reputed to be the roof.
Ah yes, Puff the Magic Dragon (original name) AKA Spooky, saw and heard them in action back in the day. A few of them and the end of the column.
Do not forget about the Apache AH 64E can carry 16 Hellfire missiles and is a deadly tank killer.
Currently, Ukraine is using drones purchased from Turkey and they are destroying a lot of Russian armor.
There was a report a couple of days ago about Russian troops knocking on doors in Ukrainian villages asking for food.
As the old saying goes: An army marches on its stomach.
Putin wants to conduct a mass terror campaign, but there appear to be significant cracks in the Russian armor.
But Putin does have air power and he is using it. We have many pilots that would love to 'show their mettle' against Russian aircraft.
No boots on the ground---------but-----------the air is not the ground.
Engaging in air warfare with the Russian military is the same as boots on the ground. We can attain air supremacy, but Putin would likely escalate and we would be facing WWIII.
We cannot allow nuclear powers to be adversaries in a conventional shooting war. The risk is far too high. Imagine if Ukraine was still a nuclear power --- would Putin have attacked? I think not, but what if he did? The temptation to escalate would be unbearable.
You are correct.
I'm having some different thoughts about this issue. What happens in a few months when Putin says to NATO: "I'm taking back Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and you don't dare do anything about it."?
Maybe we need to put an air shield over Ukraine.
The other NATO nations are bound by the treaty to militarily defend those countries, so Russia might want to reconsider.
Is the Russian invasion of Ukraine already a precursor to WWIII?
Does NATO stand up to the nuclear threats that Putin will inevitably issue when he decides to move on the Baltic states?
I think Putin knows that the NATO nations are bound by treaty to defend the Baltic countries in a way they are not bound to defend Ukraine.
WW3? No. The Russian people nor the Russian Military would permit it. They don't need it. They don't want it.
Did you see the security video of the grocery stroe being looted by Russian troops?
Amazing, the computer monitor cash registers were still on...
I haven't seen it, but that's not a surprise.
According to U.S. officials speaking today, ~100,000 #Russia troops inside #Ukraine (~70% of its entire deployed force) is running out, or has already run out of fuel & food.
If this is true, the Russian army might be the greatest paper tiger of all time.
i think they still have a ways to go compared to the first gulf wars , Iraqi 1 million man Republican guard ..... but thats just me and what i saw there .