Ukrainian defenses outmaneuver Russian forces with advanced tactics

The Ukrainian defense utilizes a comprehensive array of weaponry, with tactics ranging from deploying anti-tank mines and directing artillery fire via drones, to employing commercially available FPV drones as "kamikaze" devices and utilizing well-camouflaged positions for guided anti-tank missiles (ATGMs).

In recent footage from the Nowomykhailivka region, the deployment of various types of ATGMs is evident. These range from traditional models like the Stugna-P, which fires directly at targets, to advanced fire-and-forget weapons such as the FGM-148 Javelin. Although both systems can neutralize Russian tanks, they significantly differ in their operational methods. The Stugna-P is part of an older generation that requires the operator to manually guide the missile until it reaches its target.

This manual guidance typically relies on direct visual contact or a laser beam, which, coupled with the missile's relatively slow speed of about 656 feet per second, grants a target situated 2.5 miles away nearly 20 seconds to respond. Modern tanks could exploit this delay to attack the missile's launch position. To counter this vulnerability, Ukrainian forces have innovated a control console connected to the launcher by a 164-foot cable, enabling operators to guide the missile from a hidden location.

The systems falling into the second category feature their own sensors that autonomously identify and track targets. These include fourth-generation infrared sensors, which visualize the thermal signature of targets rather than merely detecting heat. The onboard electronics, equipped with sophisticated algorithms, determine the optimal impact point, allowing the operator to seek shelter immediately after missile launch or to engage another target with a different launcher.

Artillery, often loaded with cluster munitions, serves as another crucial component of the Ukrainian arsenal. The projectiles of these munitions can release several dozen to several hundred smaller bomblets over a designated area, targeting infantry or lightly armored vehicles. Depending on their design, each bomblet can possess the explosive power of a small fragmentation grenade, with some capable of penetrating up to 7.9 inches of armored steel.

The video material also demonstrates the tactical use of "kamikaze" type FPV drones, which are sometimes equipped with bomblets from cluster munitions or anti-tank grenades PG-7VL, typically affixed with duct tape or adhesive tape. Thus transformed into precision weapons, these drones can strike targets several hundred yards away or slightly beyond 0.6 miles, although they are vulnerable to electronic countermeasures.