As the air grows colder and soldiers in Ukraine prepare for the harsh winter, Russia is building a 200-kilometer trench along its northern border in the Luhansk region.
to me News letters As of October 17, the line was approximately 13 kilometers long. ABC News also wrote that this trench was much larger and more complex than most Russian trench lines seen throughout the war.
In addition, obstructions for tanks are being built.
Russian trenches outside Popasna on September 20, 2022.
Photo: Planet Labs PBC
Russian trenches outside Popasna on October 8. Trenches appear as several lines in the middle of the image.
Russian trenches outside Popasna on October 17.
Standing up to a storm
Lieutenant Colonel Bali Yedistibo believes that Russia is trying to establish a defensive position that it can maintain during the cold winter. He thinks the whole project looks eccentric.
– Technical implementation is a failure, says the director of the Military School.
These include the so-called dragon teeth interacts with him. It is usually more than 1.5 m high and partially buried. Dragon’s teeth should be no more than 1 meter high and not buried.
– In this sense, you can only drive them away, but this can buy the Russians some time.
Obstacle Must Be: Dragon Teeth is supposed to be an obstacle for tanks to get past.
Photo: Twitter / ria fan
Ydstebø primarily believes that this is more intended for the domestic audience in Russia.
– When you look at what they’re building, it seems trivial, he says.
Wagner group behind it
The trench bears the name “Wagner Line”, as the British Ministry of Defense indicates Twitter.
Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin stated that engineers from the Wagner Group are building a defense line in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region.
Recently, Prigozhin emerged as the man behind the infamous Wagner Group, also called Putin’s Army.
Russian trenches in Luhansk, photographed September 20, 2022.
Russian trenches in Luhansk, photographed October 6, 2022. Trenches appear in the middle of the image.
Don’t go the way of Russia
A spokesman for the eastern Ukrainian forces, Serge Sherevatyzh, sees the construction of the “Wagner Line” as proof that the war is not going Russia’s way.
– There is evidence that they lose. They announced that Luhansk and Donetsk are Russian and here, in the middle of this region, they are building this fortified line, he told the ABC.
He also believes that there may be a political reason behind this.
– It seems that they want to show how important these areas are to them, and that they will stand to the end to defend them.
Lieutenant Colonel Yedstepo agrees with Cherevatyj. The Wagner Line’s position is believed to show that Russia has taken a defensive stance.
– It seems that they are trying to maintain the positions they have taken. They expect to keep it through the winter. It is a clear indication that Ukraine has taken the lead on the battlefield, and Russia must deal with its initiatives.
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