RUS Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine
After taking over Crimea with minimal force, the heavily armed and unidentified Russian soldiers were given this euphemistic moniker by the local population and local media
What are polite people?
Hours before the 2022 invasion, Ukraine successfully evaded Russia's initial wave of strikes by doing what
Due to the dense concentration of electronic warfare and air defenses, the percentage of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) employed by Ukraine that are ultimately lost is around this staggering number
What is 90%?
To serve as a diversion and cover for troop movements into Crimea, Vladimir Putin ordered this type of sudden, unannounced action involving 150,000 troops on February 26, 2014
What is a snap exercise?
During the 2022 Russian offensive against the Donbas, Russian artillery had a massive firepower advantage, firing around this many shells per day compared to Ukraine's 6,000
What is 20,000?
According to Professor Gene Kamena, senior leaders navigating the Joint Planning Process (JPP) must first ask this specific three-word question to articulate a desired future state before formal planning begins
What is "What Do I Want?"?
When fighting broke out in Mariupol in April 2014, these wealthy Ukrainians sent thousands of steelworkers to take control of the streets and halt the separatist advance
Who are oligarchs?
The Russian military struggled because this composite all-arms formation, created only for operations, lacked the junior leadership to knit its units together and became combat-ineffective after taking limited losses
What is a Battalion Tactical Group (BTG)
The introduction of this specific American-made precision rocket system marked the point where Russia's Donbas offensive ended, as Ukraine used it to target deep logistical depots
What is HIMARS?
Ukraine's interim government made a critical error in 2014 when it disbanded this organization, humiliating its members and leading them to defect to the Russian side
What are riot police?
Because Russian tanks had better protection and sensors for mid-range fights, Ukrainian tankers adapted by developing techniques for this specific type of fire, hitting targets up to 10 kilometers awa
What is indirect fire?
Because they treat all information as true unless contradicted and lack an honest reporting culture, the Russian military is structurally and culturally vulnerable to this specific tactical and operational too
What is deception?
Despite being newly promoted to the position by the interim leadership in Kyiv, the commander of what branch of the Ukrainian military promptly defected to Russia during the Crimean crisis
What is the navy?
In the opening days of the 2022 invasion, Russian airborne troops successfully landed at Hostomel airfield but were quickly cleared out by a Ukrainian mechanized counterattack after coming under heavy fire from this specific asset
What is artillery?
Ukraine's theory of victory for the 2023 summer offensive relied on breaking through Russian defenses to reach this specific body of water to hold Russian positions in Crimea at risk
What is the Sea of Azov?