Russian Failures in Ukraine Dent Airborne Paratroopers’ ‘Elite’ Standing

• Russia’s elite airborne pressure, the VDV, has been on the heart of Moscow’s offensive in opposition to Ukraine.
• The VDV has struggled in Ukraine, the place combating has taken a excessive toll in lives and broken the unit’s popularity.

The Russian army’s struggles in Ukraine have severely dented its popularity.

Regardless of having qualitative and quantitative benefits, the Russians have failed to realize their main aims, forcing the Kremlin to backtrack and alter its strategic objectives within the battle.

The Russian army’s elite airborne pressure, the VDV, was on the heart of the invasion that kicked off on February 24, and its paratroopers have suffered heavy losses in a number of high-profile failures through the marketing campaign.

One unit throughout the VDV, the 331st Guards Parachute Regiment, is taken into account elite in its personal proper and has taken heavy losses in Ukraine, together with its commander, Col. Sergei Sukharev, who was killed in mid-March.

An airfield too far

The Russian plan targeted on performing with pace, shock, and violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers envisioned a battle that lasted 48 to 72 hours, captured key Ukrainian city facilities, together with Kyiv, and toppled the Ukrainian authorities.

Airborne forces are perfect for such contingencies, as they’re educated and outfitted to struggle with pace, shock, and aggression. Russian army commanders naturally turned to their VDV airborne forces to play a key half within the invasion of Ukraine.

One of many principal Russian targets within the preliminary hours of the invasion was the Antonov airport close to the Ukrainian city of Hostomel, about 20 miles from Kyiv. VDV paratroopers performed an air assault on the airport utilizing about 30 helicopters.

At first, they have been in a position to seize it, nevertheless it was a short-lived victory, as a Ukrainian counterattack by special-operations forces and traditional troops retook the airfield.

The purpose of the attacking pressure in airborne operations, equivalent to airfield seizures, is to broaden the perimeter, or “airhead,” in order that the defending pressure cannot hit the airfield with artillery, rockets, and different indirect-fire weapons, a former Inexperienced Beret officer who served within the 82nd Airborne Division instructed Insider.

“By doing so, you enable airfield ops to proceed and reinforcements to pour in,” mentioned the previous officer, who requested anonymity as a result of they nonetheless work with the US authorities.

“Failing to broaden the airhead within the preliminary hours of an airfield seizure welcomes catastrophe. You would use it as a feint to distract the enemy and take his consideration from one other a part of the battle house, however it will additionally imply you might be sacrificing the airborne pressure, which, by the way in which, are a few of your extra competent models,” the previous Inexperienced Beret mentioned. “Is the danger and loss value it? That is as much as commander and operational scenario to find out.”

Through the Hostomel assault, plainly the Russian VDV forces didn’t broaden the airhead. They bought caught on the airfield and have been unable to push out and preserve Ukrainian forces from getting close to the airstrip.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian defenders anticipated a Russian try to seize the airfield and had positioned obstacles, equivalent to buses and tractors, on the runways to stop Russian transport plane from reinforcing the preliminary wave of VDV forces.

Russian commanders additionally failed to strengthen the paratroopers on the bottom with extra helicopter-borne forces — an entire failure of doctrine.

VDV forces, that are distinguished by the “V” marks on their automobiles, have been concerned in a number of different failures, struggling heavy losses all through the invasion.

In a single case in early March, a whole VDV mechanized patrol was ambushed and destroyed by Ukrainian particular operators within the Kyiv suburb of Irpin.

The 331st Guards Parachute Regiment was concerned in combating round Kyiv and estimates of its losses vary from 39 troops, as tallied by the BBC, to about 100, in response to residents of the group the place the unit is predicated.

Russian vs. US airborne forces

Distinguished by its troops’ white-and-blue striped shirts, known as telnyashkas, and their blue berets, the VDV is an elite group throughout the Russian armed forces.

It is a distinct department of the Russian army and is taken into account Moscow’s strategic reserve. When a contingency seems, the VDV is there. Through the latest upheaval in Kazakhstan, the VDV was one of many first Russian forces that was despatched in, performing as what Moscow known as peacekeepers.

The VDV’s dimension and doctrinal function differentiates it from airborne models within the US and different Western militaries.

In 2015, the commander of Russia’s airborne troops, Colonel-Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, mentioned that pressure would develop to 60,000 paratroopers within the years forward. These forces are divided into a number of divisions and brigades.

As compared, the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division has lower than 20,000 paratroopers. The 82nd Airborne is the US army’s solely devoted paratrooper unit, although different models, just like the Army’s seventy fifth Ranger Regiment, conduct airborne operations.

The doctrinal function of Russian airborne forces can be distinct from that of their US counterparts. Each formations are rapid-response forces designed to strike quick and seize key aims, however VDV forces are way more mechanized than US airborne models.

Russian VDV models sport tanks, infantry combating automobiles, and armored personnel carriers, and so they use them usually. Throughout combating in Ukraine, the VDV has misplaced T-72B tanks and BMD-2 infantry combating automobiles, amongst different automobiles.

US paratroopers have some mechanized capabilities — just like the LAV-25, a wheeled all-terrain armored infantry combating automobile — however nowhere close to what their Russian counterparts have.

VDV models are additionally designed to be extra unbiased than their Western counterparts.

For instance, in a traditional near-peer battle, after seizing a goal, the 82nd Airborne Division would depend on mechanized floor reinforcements to alleviate them. Because the VDV has an natural mechanized functionality, it would not depend on different models to alleviate them after seizing their goal.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a protection journalist specializing in particular operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (nationwide service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins College graduate.