Thread by @TrentTelenko

James Dunnican's Strategypage.com site had a very interesting analysis column that explains what Russian VDV descents on Ukrainian air bases ran into and the patterns of combat to date with Putin's five invasion axis's.

Thread

1/

Excerpts from the column:

"Russian airborne forces managed to take an airport ten kilometers outside Kyiv. Efforts to use that airport to bring in additional troops were disrupted by the Ukrainian use...

strategypage.com/qnd/russia/art…

2/

...of Stinger portable anti-aircraft missiles as well as rifle and machine-gun fire at low flying aircraft. The airport was quickly attacked by a Ukrainian army rapid reaction force organized and trained for retaking key locations seized by Russian airborne forces.

3/

While the area around the airport was soon surrounded by regular reservists and armed volunteers, the Rapid Reaction unit retook the airport before the Russians could use larger transport aircraft to bring in more troops. Russia appears to have underestimated the...
4/

...preparations Ukraine have made since 2014 to deal with this kind of invasion.

In addition to 150 local defense units (of at least battalion size) arrangements were made to quickly arm, train and deploy volunteers, which includes all physically able males aged 16 to 60.
5/

The regular army obtained more portable anti-aircraft weapons and trained special units to deal with any Russians that seized key objectives.

All those armed Ukrainians were more of an obstacle that the Russians expected. The invaders are using about a dozen main roads...
6/

...from the border to objectives inside Ukraine. Within hours all those roads were under fire from the armed locals.

Even convoys with numerous armed escorts were fired on and the Russians did not have enough troops to clear the roads of armed hostiles. Some convoys were...
7/

...halted by roadblocks and at least one Russian reconnaissance platoon was captured. While the Russians control most Ukrainian airspace and coastal waters, land areas remain under Ukrainian control.

8/

So, there were a number of specially trained Ukrainian National Guard quick reaction battalions with Stingers ready for VDV helicopter and parachute landings.

Each had an area of operation to cover & their job was to surround and screen any such landing.

9/

These quick reaction battalions had existing communications arrangements with the UAF air defense network and Ukrainian Army artillery units.

10/

Once in position, they surrounded the airheads with a gauntlet of Stinger teams and automatic weapons position along the helicopter flight path UAF radar networks indicated.

11/

And they called in SS-21 Scarab/Tochka-U SRBM onto air heads to break up VDV organization and keep them on the defensive.

12/

https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1497024650882211843

While heavier Ukrainian Army mechanized forces closed in to support & eliminate the air head.
13/

https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1496987322553876480

So, why have the Russians gotten to Kyiv if there are roving bands of Ukrainians ambushing Russian army supply columns as Dunnigan's analysis described?

These forces went through the Chernobyl exclusion zone where Ukrainian territorials avoid.
14/

Given the amount of radioactive dust crews of Russian armored columns have and are continuing to breath into their lungs doing this.

Thousands of Russian soldiers will be dying of radioactive war wounds for decades to come due to Putin's mania to take Kyiv.

15/End