Russo-Ukrainian War: The Azov Battalion

     There is an elephant in the room which some media outlets have mentioned and certainly is a part of Putin's accusation of “Nazis” in the Ukrainian government. The elephant? Special Operations Detachment “Azov”, better known as the Azov Battalion.

     Formed in 2014, the Azov Battalion is a right-wing, neo-Nazi infantry unit. The manpower of the Azov Battalion has been put as low as 300 personnel and as much as 900 men and women. However, this count was from 2015 and it is likely much larger today. It also includes many foreign fighters from the U.S. and Europe that follow a fascist ideology. The Azov Battalion is, today, classified as a regiment and has a regimental HQ, two commando battalions, the 5th. Tank Battalion, a field artillery battery, and other supporting units such as engineer, signal, maintenance, and reconnaissance companies and even a NBC defense platoon among others. Azov Battalion detachments are stationed in Kyiv, Berdiansk, and Mariupol.

     The Azov Battalion first saw action in the Donbas War which commenced on April 6, 2014 and, even today, hasn't ended though a ceasefire went into effect in September 2014. In that same month, the Azov Battalion entered into the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2016, the political leadership split from the military component of the battalion and formed the National Corps political party. Today, the National Corps has between 10,000 to 15,000 members but in the 2019 elections, the party failed to reach 5% of the popular vote and so there are no National Corps representatives in the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). In local elective offices, the National Corps has 23 elected officials, a mere .04% of all available seats (158,399 country-wide).

     The Azov Battalion remains a unit within the National Guard and is currently on the front lines. This fact is being played up by Russian state-controlled news agencies as evidence that the Ukrainians have “Nazi battalions” fighting for them and a reason to overthrow the Ukrainian government despite the fact there are no National Corps members in parliament. A recent Twitter post appears to show Azov fighters soaking their bullets in pig fat with a message to Muslim Chechen soldiers that are deployed by Russia into Ukraine to return home, that there will be no heaven for them.

     The photograph here dates from 2014 but readily shows the adoption of German World War II military regalia by members of the unit. This includes the wearing of a field cap styled after the West German model that, itself, was derived from the World War II M43 feldmütze. The badge on the front of the cap is styled after the badge used by the wartime Schutzmannschaft, or Auxiliary Police, which were local police formations created by the Germans in occupied territories which included Ukraine. Here, the badge uses a trident rather than a swastika. The patch on the man's equipment pouch reads “Azov” (A3OB) and utilizes the “black sun” (a sun wheel made up of twelve sig runes) and the Wolfsangel heraldic charge. Both were adopted by the Nazis in World War II as part of their symbology and both remain in use today by various neo-Nazi groups. Also, the man is wearing German “Flecktarn” camouflage.

     It should be noted that the U.S. attempted to classify the Azov Battalion as a terrorist organization but failed to get the unit listed. The Azov Battalion has been linked to war crimes such as looting, torture, and unlawful detention by members of the unit during the time the Azov Battalion was deployed during the Donbas War. It has been said the Azov Battalion is anti-Semitic but the unit has a number of Jewish fighters in its ranks and also Jewish members of the political party.

Originally posted on February 28, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The Bayraktar TB2

 

     Appearing on some of the Instagram feeds are nocturnal aerial strikes against Russian supply convoys. Where are the strikes coming from? They are coming from Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) fitted with MAM laser-guided smart bombs. MAM stands for Mini Akıllı Mühimmat, or Smart Micro Munition).

     The TB2 is built by the Turkish firm Baykar and entered service in 2014. Currently, the Ukrainian Air Force has six TB2 UCAVs known to be in active service though in October 2020, an order for 48 more drones was submitted. How many of those were ultimately delivered isn't known. The Ukrainian Navy also operates a handful of drones with an order for another four examples likely on hold due to the conflict.

     The TB2 requires a three man crew in the ground control station and the UCAV itself is 21 feet long with a wingspan of 39 feet. Power comes from a 100 horsepower IC (internal combustion) petrol engine which can push the drone to a maximum speed of 138 miles per hour with a regular cruise speed of 80 miles per hour. A 79 gallon fuel capacity can provide up to 27 hours of endurance. Range is limited to 93 miles with communication between the drone and control station occurring via line-of-sight propagation (that is, direct communication from the control station to the drone). The TB2 has a maximum ceiling of 27,000 feet though the usual operational altitude is lower at 18,000 feet.

     The TB2 has four hardpoints to mount laser-guided smart munitions. To deliver the ordnance, the TB2 has Electro-Optic/Infrared/Laser Designation imaging/targeting sensor systems. This can be switched out with multi-mode Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar if mission requirements demand it.

     Ukrainian TB2s are usually outfitted with the MAM-C or the MAM-L. The MAM series of weapons is also built by Turkey, developed by ROKETSAN and entering service around 2016. The MAM-C has a semi-active laser seeker with a maximum range of nearly 5 miles. It can be fitted with either a multi-purpose warhead (combining blast fragmentation, incendiary, and armor piercing capability) or a more standard high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The larger MAM-L also has a nearly 5 mile range but if fitted with a GPS system, it can reach a little over 8 miles. Like the MAM-C, the MAM-L can be fitted with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead but also a tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank to defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) typically fitted to main battle tanks or can be fitted with a lethal thermobaric warhead which consumes oxygen to create a massive explosion and shock wave. Also, the MAM-L can be set to detonate on impact or proximity detonate.

     Some of the video feeds show TB2 strikes on Russian self-propelled surface-to-air missile systems (such as the 9K37 Buk, NATO codenamed SA-11 Gadfly or the modernized version, the SA-17 Grizzly) as well as supply vehicles. The former is a prime target as such missiles pose a very real threat to Ukrainian air power. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Ukrainian army fields some 72 9K37 systems though how many of them survived the initial Russian strike is unknown. As for hitting supply columns, some of the feeds show hits against fuel tankers or trucks likely to be carrying munitions. It would appear that these attacks on supply lines is having an effect as other reports state that Russian equipment is simply being abandoned for lack of fuel. A military runs on “beans and bullets” but also fuel and lubricants. Machinery cannot move if it has no fuel to run.

     It is also shocking the lack of convoy discipline in the Russian columns within the combat theater of operations. They use closed column which means less than 100 meters between vehicles. In some cases, the vehicles are back to back. This makes them highly vulnerable to air attack and any hit to one vehicle will most likely cause damage to surrounding vehicles. For example, U.S. Marine Corps doctrine is open column in active war zones with spacing of up to 200 meters between vehicles to reduce the vulnerability against air strikes and lessen the chance one hit on a vehicle takes out others. Of course, the further apart vehicles are reduces mutual support.

Originally posted on February 27, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: War Booty Near Kharkiv

     Ukrainian troops outside Kharkiv collect weapons and equipment from a destroyed Russian column. Besides looking for intelligence information in the wrecked vehicles, it is certain that any usable weapons and ammunition that is captured will be turned around and used against the Russians. Since there is commonality between some Russian and Ukrainian weapons, such captured guns can be used to replace inoperable ones as well as bolster the inventory of available weapons and ammunition.

     The captured weapons here include a 12.7mm Kord machine-gun in its vehicle mount configuration. The large box is for the 9M131 anti-tank missile used with the Russian Metis-M system. NATO code-named AT-13 “Saxhorn”, Metis-M is used by both Russia and Ukraine. There is what appears to be some form of disposable anti-tank weapon though it is difficult to say which make as much of it is covered up. Laying on top of the launch tube are two rockets for the RPG-7, if only judging by the size and the nozzles for the rocket. Although the RPG-7 was put into service in 1961, it remains in use around the world in modernized forms. Again, both Russia and Ukraine utilize the RPG-7.

     Each soldier looks to have a RPG-26 Algen single-shot, disposable anti-tank launcher over their shoulder but again, positive identification is difficult as much of the tube is hidden. The grenadier (who is touching the ushanka hat) is equipped with a AK-74M with an under-barrel 40mm GP-25 Kostyor (“Bonfire”) grenade launcher. Additional rounds of the caseless grenades are kept in a bandoleer. The other soldier has a AKS-74, characterized by the folding stock. It also has ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic polymer stock/grip furniture due to the plum coloration.

     Russian troops have penetrated into Kharkiv's suburbs but these have been light attack units rather than the committal of heavier assets. These skirmishes have occurred on the outskirts of the city proper and no Russian forces have made it deeper. Reports show that Russian columns are bypassing Kharkiv which suggests that Russian troops deployed in the area may be there to contain Ukrainian forces or prevent reinforcements and/or supplies from getting into the city by blockading it. Given Kharkiv has some 1.4 million residents, a full scale assault into the city itself would be very costly.

Originally posted on February 27, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: Demolished Russian T-72B3

      Situated some 65 miles to the north of Kyiv, the city of Chernihiv sits along a main route from the country of Belarus into Kyiv. As such, the area around the city has become contested with Russian forces having surrounded the city on three sides in an effort to cut off the defenders from any support and commence their push on the city from three directions. This three pronged attack would have, as one objective, to spread out Ukrainian military forces across a wider front rather than allow them to concentrate their defense on one or two avenues of attack. Nevertheless, Ukrainian tank hunters around Chernihiv have destroyed, according to reports, more than 30 Russian tanks following attacks on Russian columns and the photograph here shows one of those kills.

     The demolished T-72B3 main battle tank was hit by a Javelin anti-tank missile with devastating effect. Where the missile struck is difficult to say but a side shot into the back portion of the tank is one possibility. Such a location has thinner armor and is usually not protected by reactive armor. Another is that the missile struck the top of the rear deck where the armor is not very thick. The Javelin, designated the FGM-148, is a U.S. designed missile, the replacement for the earlier M47 Dragon. The Javelin entered service in 1996 and remains in service with U.S. forces as well as the military forces of over 20 countries, including Ukraine. It is reported that there are some 377 launchers and 1,200 missiles in Ukrainian military hands based on purchase contracts prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Whether additional missiles can be delivered to replenish the stock remains to be seen.

     The Javelin consists of two parts: the Command Launch Unit (CLU) and the Launch Tube Assembly (LTA). The CLU contains all the needed optics to enable the gunner to acquire targets in day or night conditions. The LTA contains the missile inside a disposable tube. The CLU is fitted to the LTA and after firing, the CLU is detached and fitted to the next ready LTA. A typical Javelin team is two men. The missile uses a tandem-charge HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) shaped charge warhead which allows it to defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) and strike the main armor of the target. When used by infantry, the standard CLU permits a maximum effective range of 1.6 miles. The 19 pound warhead can penetrate over 750mm of regular RHA (Rolled Homogeneous Armor) or if facing tanks with ERA, the penetration drops to 600mm. The missile can use two attack profiles: a top attack profile to come down on top of the tank and a direct attack profile.

     So far, no Russian troops have moved into Chernihiv successfully, being repulsed by the defenders but given their isolated situation, it is difficult to say how long they can hold out.

Originally posted on February 26, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: Call To Arms in Dnipro

     The city of Dnipro is some 240 miles to the southeast of Kyiv. While it has been subjected to Russian missile/rocket strikes, it has yet to be threatened by Russian ground forces though Russian troops are in battle with Ukrainian forces around Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol which if one looks at map, means the city is practically surrounded by hostile forces except for the western side of Dnipro.

     The call to arms by this family in Dnipro is pretty evident in the photograph and that call means any weapon that is functional will be brought into action. While the shotgun is modern enough, the pistol beneath it is certainly not. It is a Mauser C96, better known by the nickname “Broomhandle” or in Chinese, the “Hézipào” or “Box Cannon”. The pistol entered service with Germany in 1896 and the popularity of the pistol saw it come in all kinds of varieties (mainly in ammunition caliber) and was copied by the Spanish gunmaker Astra and in China in Shanxi province by warlord Yen Hsi-shan. There have also been several copies of the C96 made as well throughout the decades. Over one million German built C96 pistols were produced with a unknown number of copies and variants. What version the pistol is cannot be readily said from this photograph but it does show that this venerable pistol may yet see battle once more.

Originally posted on February 26, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: Ukrainian Troops Outside Kharkiv

 

     The resolve of the Ukrainian defenders is borne out by the fact the Russians have failed to meet any of their first day mission objectives. Of course, the Russians have the ability to throw more men and material into the grinder and given time, can eventually wear down the Ukrainian defenses. The question is if Putin will commit those forces and continue to pay the price in Russian soldier blood.

     The photograph here shows Ukrainian soldiers outside Kharkiv, situated in positions to repel Russian attacks. The men are around a knocked out or disabled Russian MT-LB multi-purpose tracked vehicle. The MT-LB can carry eleven infantrymen but more often, it was used as a command vehicle, artillery tractor, or engineer/specialist vehicle. With a paltry 3mm to a maximum of 10mm of armor, the MT-LB is highly vulnerable to just about everything on the battlefield.

     To the far left of the photograph is a Ukrainian BMP-1 or a imported Czechoslovak BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. The Ukrainian army also fields an upgraded version, the BMP-1U and BMP-1M “Shkval” (“Squall”) which is equipped with a new turret fitted with a KBA-2 30mm autocannon, 9M113 Konkurs (“Contest”) anti-tank guided missile, and a AGS-17 “Plamya” (“Flame”) 30mm automatic grenade launcher.

Originally posted on February 25, 2022.

Russo-Ukrainian War: Infiltration into Kyiv

     Russian troops claim to have taken Antonov Airport outside Hostomel which is northwest of Kyiv. It has been the focus of back and forth battle and if the Russians hold it, it means they can land very large transport planes there. There are also reports of firefights in the Obolonskyi District of Kyiv to the north of the city center. Ukrainian troops are fortifying the main city center, bridge crossings, and the Podil District.

     Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned that the Russians would use infiltration tactics by wearing Ukrainian military uniforms, penetrating Ukrainian lines, and conducting sabotage operations. This photograph, if captioned correctly, appears to bear that out. The vehicle is a Russian Ural-4320 6X6 truck which is used by the Russian military but also the Ukrainian military so, it would be an obvious choice for a infiltration vehicle. Fitted in the bed of the truck is a ZU-23-2 which is a twin-barrel, 23mm anti-aircraft. Though developed in the 1950s, it remains in widespread service around the world to include, again, both Russia and the Ukraine. There are numerous instances in which Ukrainian trucks and even armored fighting vehicles were fitted with the ZU-23-2 for use by the Ukrainian military so, once more, it makes sense to set up the truck in such a fashion as it would not be totally out of line. The two dead men are reported to be Russians wearing Ukrainian uniforms and one can see numerous bullet impacts on the door and cab along with hits that blew oil all over the cab and ground. Fuel appears to be leaking from underneath the truck. The man on the ground was likely manning the ZU-23-2 as there is at least one bullet hit on the ammunition box.

     Of interest, the Ukrainian medic is wearing a mixture of military and civilian uniform items and equipment.

Originally posted on February 25, 2022.