Article

2022-08-09 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Forbes: Two of the six tank brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exist only on paper

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Posted by badanov 2022-08-09 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 They are still have a better time of it than the Russians are though.

Posted by Chris 2022-08-09 10:30|| 2022-08-09 10:30|| Front Page Top

#2 Perhaps these units are awaiting delivery of tanks from Western Nations. It is difficult to deploy tanks that haven't yet been delivered.

Posted by i forgot it 2022-08-09 12:23|| 2022-08-09 12:23|| Front Page Top

#3 ...Yeah, but the four that are there seem to be doing quite well.

And nonexistent tank brigades are perfectly compatible with the concept of maskirovka. You'd think the Russians would appreciate that.

Mike

Posted by MikeKozlowski 2022-08-09 14:42|| 2022-08-09 14:42|| Front Page Top

#4 I'm reminded of Patton's First US Army Group in the run up to Normandy.

Posted by Matt 2022-08-09 15:50|| 2022-08-09 15:50|| Front Page Top

#5 In WW2 the US Army had an entire series of fictitious military formations. Left 'holes' in the numbering sequence of new units, had the Army heraldry department design 'authentic' unit insignia and even had a small group of radio transmitters mimic fake radio traffic when they supposedly were on training maneuvers (1942 and later). Quite involved and culminated in the deception plan for the D-Day invasion in 1944.

Posted by magpie 2022-08-09 16:00|| 2022-08-09 16:00|| Front Page Top

#6 There is a difference between maskirova and cooking the books. Ukraine being Ukraine, my first suspicion is the latter. You could argue that it is all maskirovka, the only difference being whether the target is enemy forces or your own accountants.

There was a story back in the Cold War days about a Russian sub being watched by satellite recon while it was docked at a pier. After a typhoon went thru the area, the photo analysts were amused to see the "sub" folded in half.

Posted by SteveS 2022-08-09 16:23|| 2022-08-09 16:23|| Front Page Top

#7 I am going to be generous and say part optimism and part bureaucratic corruption.

Theory: the roster of Armored Brigades, along with other mechanized units, was decided on prior to 2014. Because of Russian "adventurism" (lets call it that) the Ukrainians needed to adopt a levée en masse to bulk up the army and switched to an army based on local "militias and volunteer" units discarding the "Modern Mechanized Army" -- no money and no time. Since then it was too much hassle to officially disband the ghost units and perhaps there were bureaucrats happy with their 'phoney baloney jobs' in the skeletons of the ghost units.

Posted by magpie 2022-08-09 18:36|| 2022-08-09 18:36|| Front Page Top

#8 I like it, magpie! A most plausible theory.

Posted by SteveS 2022-08-09 19:47|| 2022-08-09 19:47|| Front Page Top

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