Using donkeys. Russians have large-scale problems with military vehicles

Thus, according to this resource, the total loss of Russian equipment today is about 20,000 units, including 5,000 infantry fighting vehicles, 3,700 tanks, and 3,800 military trucks.

Donkeys, horses, and camels

Perhaps all this information would have remained the property of a narrow circle of specialists if the information space hadn't recently been burst by photographs of donkeys in the ranks of the Russian army.

That's right, the once-proudly declared "second" army of the world began using the most ordinary donkeys to transport ammunition.

It's worth saying that donkeys aren't the only animals that Russians are trying to mobilize into their army. There is photographic evidence that Russians are using ordinary horses at the front as transportation, possibly taken from residents of the Ukrainian-occupied territory. There is also information about camels.

Of course, Russian propagandists immediately rushed to whitewash this news, saying that this is a global practice and that the US army had a similar experience using these animals in Afghanistan...

But it seems that the Russian command has clarified this issue, confirming that the equipment is difficult to use and that donkeys are necessary.

The Russian command has confirmed that there are difficulties with equipment, but they can't do it without donkeys

Russian Lieutenant General Viktor Sobolev said, "Now there are great difficulties in providing units and subdivisions, including assault units and groups, with ammunition, military equipment, and food. And if some methods are used, such as donkeys, horses, etc., to deliver ammunition and other property to the front line, it's normal."

Zhiguli

The Russian army's noticeable lack of equipment can be seen even without the photos of donkeys.

The fact is that the Russians have started to literally drive Zhiguli, a Soviet-vintage compact car, to the assaults.

The Russian industry is not able to cover the huge losses. Even despite its statements.

Here is a photo of one of these vehicles destroyed by the Ukrainian military during the assault:

And so the photo is of some old car wrecks, on which the Russians are trying to assault more and more. They flooded the information space so that Russian military commanders themselves began to grumble about what was happening.

The Russians are also trying to launch attacks on trophy Ukrainian equipment if it is found on the move. For example, Ukrainian forces have recently destroyed an M113 armored personnel carrier previously captured by the Russians.

One-time armor

However, this problem is much deeper than it seems at first glance and has its roots in Soviet military strategy.

The fact is that in all 70 years of its existence, the Soviet Union never mass-produced a single model of armored vehicles suitable for the type of warfare currently being waged. The Soviets had a different concept: a horde of Soviet soldiers had to move across Europe scorched by a nuclear strike, so light armor had to protect soldiers from radiation, and intense infantry fighting was not expected.

Even the Russians themselves recognize Soviet-Russian equipment's unsuitability for the current warfare type. One Russian military commander wrote: "Our current airborne compartments on Soviet/Russian-made BMPs and APCs are uncomfortable and not conducive to quick landings under fire." But it's not just about the landing gear.

It's about the protection and efficiency of such equipment in general. A German Marder does not tear itself apart when it hits a mine like a Soviet BMP.

It turned out that all this Soviet equipment was disposable. And if it were possible to take just the quantity of it once, in the new times, it would not work. No matter how many of these vehicles there are, a few drones will still be more than enough and will be disproportionately cheaper than the most primitive Russian hardware.

That is why the Russian military is trying to "upgrade" the armored vehicles it still has at its disposal in every possible way. The construction of various protections against drones (the Ukrainian army also does this) isn't only an attempt to somehow protect armored vehicles but also a desire to do something to improve the protection of their infantry, which otherwise must go into battle either in disposable BMPs or simply in assault Zhiguli.

However, as is traditionally the case in Russia, any plan is impossible without using the eternal Russian elite material, wood. This is illustrated in this screenshot from the video, where tree trunks play the role of improvised protection for infantry on a tank.

But of course, the Russians seem to have a shortage of equipment for all technical means.

Without excessive optimism

Of course, this material should not be regarded as Russian "capitulation". Despite everything, the Russians are seizing Ukrainian new territories and even sometimes surrounding our defenders. They send wave after wave of assault and, due to the lack of people in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, sooner or later achieve limited success.

Undoubtedly, the Russians are trying to solve the problem of equipment shortages. It is not for nothing that the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has stated that the Russians have so far partially managed to cover their needs by repairing and cannibalizing equipment from storage bases.

As always, "like-minded" people from the East will probably help. It is worth recalling that China has already supplied Russia with thousands of so-called "motorized all-terrain vehicles" and North Korea with hundreds of Coxan self-propelled artillery systems.

And the actual scope of cooperation is probably even greater. But it takes time to establish industrial supplies and, thus, a truce. However, the fact remains that in the third year of the war, the country that called its army the "second best" in the world remembered donkeys. Therefore, there is no need to rush into peace talks.

army eng military equipment russians russo-ukrainian war