Positional stalemate?
The current state of affairs on the frontlines in Ukraine is somewhat reminiscent of World War I, the situation which is sometimes called “positional stalemate”. The warring parties were prepping for rapid and swift advances in 1914. However, machine guns and trench artillery that made their way to regular armies gave the defending side much greater advantages to hold on in the face of an attack. The attackers resorted to using large-scale artillery strikes to suppress enemy defences, while the defenders constructed a deep-echelon system of trenches and fortifications that could not be overcome easily and resulted in huge losses. As a result, the frontline stabilised.
However, the situation had changed by the time the Second World War began. New and powerful means of breaking through defence lines — attack armoured tank units and frontline aviation — prevented another “positional stalemate”. That war turned into a manoeuvering one, with dissecting strikes, enemy encirclement operations, tank battles, and swift sallies into the enemy’s rear becoming the basis of the combat.
The full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine represents a blend between these two wars. The conflict was characterised as a manoeuvring one, albeit with certain reservations, up until the late autumn of 2022.
Combat aviation was not playing a major role in it. Ukraine has few jets, while Russia is scared of using them for fear of losing aircraft to Ukraine’s effective air defences. Armoured vehicles and artillery were the main tools of the war. During the “Battle for Donbas”, the Russian army was assaulting cities and towns head on in the spring-summer of 2022, using the barrage fire tactic. Up to several tens of thousands of artillery shells were expended per day, which flattened city quarters and Ukrainian defence strongholds located there.