# What new weapons/weapons tactics have the Russians so far introduced in Ukraine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204 "2022-02-27T23:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/141 "2022-03-21T03:29:52Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > very smart and resourceful warefare by the Ukr Yes, but not new. Flooding lands to deny access and and diverting waterways to gain access is a pretty ancient tactic. > **[Dam Warfare](https://medium.com/war-is-boring/dam-warfare-3da6ee24518a)** > > Floods as weapons, from ancient times until Iraq today ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/142 "2022-03-21T04:13:30Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yes, but not new. Flooding lands to deny access and and diverting waterways to gain access is a pretty ancient tactic. The Venetians had a simpler tactic - pull up the channel markers in the shallow lagoon, pretty much guaranteeing the invading ships would run aground. Worked great until Napoleon showed up with his newfangled artillery with a three-mile range, that could reach the city from the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/143 "2022-03-21T09:46:22Z")
News reports say the Russians have fired a second hypersonic missile, this time at a fuel depot. Russians have denied this, but the Ukrainians have documents (posted somewhere online, but I couldn’t find them) that say that Russian cadets are being used in the fighting. Looks like a desperation move to me. The hypersonic missiles look like desperation too, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/144 "2022-03-21T10:14:13Z")
The Kyiv Independent says that men with no military background are being forcibly conscripted by the Russians in Donbas, and thrown into the front line with little training. > **[Russia throws untrained civilians from occupied Donbas into hot spots of its...](https://kyivindependent.com/national/russia-throws-untrained-civilians-from-occupied-donbas-into-hot-spots-of-its-war-in-ukraine)** > > Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent isn’t revealing last names of the people from the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine interviewed for this story for safety reasons. Nearly every man that Oleksii, a 24-year-old resident of Russian-occupied... I wonder how willing Donbas will be to become a part of Russia after the war. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/145 "2022-03-21T11:48:08Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The Kyiv Independent says that men with no military background are being forcibly conscripted by the Russians in Donbas, and thrown into the front line with little training. More desperation. Usually it’s the _defenders_ that are that desperate. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/146 "2022-03-21T12:37:59Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The Kyiv Independent says that men with no military background are being forcibly conscripted by the Russians in Donbas, and thrown into the front line with little training. Good god. > [@](#): > > According to the intelligence unit of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, the vast majority of mobilized Donbas residents are[sent to the hottest spots](https://www.facebook.com/DefenceIntelligenceofUkraine/posts/271786621799432? __cft__ %5B0%5D=AZXnvtNLrv0zJ3QKVca2DSw-xCztWObgK_ZCA-y8c2U4rl6LzCuI3NgG2hADW4m-n9HCkXLx-03344ETgznDsQPlKQONlkiD1lVH9Dk4KfI9Rc8fnwF75VE8JJs_1gMtTgU0x5dvXBniqPxW5_BDhMub& __tn__ =%2CO%2CP-R) without special training “to clear obstacles and dig trenches.” **The losses among new recruits reach 70-80%** , the ministry said. > > It also reported that Russia uses the Donetsk Metallurgical Plant to burn the corpses of Donbas residents killed in battle to hide the actual number of casualties. (Bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/147 "2022-03-21T14:20:19Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > More desperation. Usually it’s the _defenders_ that are that desperate. And casualties among inexperienced defenders are bad enough, but inexperienced attackers are horrific. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/148 "2022-03-21T14:32:40Z")
There’s a certain risk in handing unwilling people weapons and expecting them to use those against the other side. Or even sending them to do work, unarmed, where they may run across dead soldiers with abandoned weapons. > [@Gyrate](#): > > It also reported that Russia uses the Donetsk Metallurgical Plant to burn the corpses of Donbas residents killed in battle to hide the actual number of casualties. The other problem is - a few will survive. then what? You expect them not to tell everyone what happened when they get home? I’m sure some people must be thinking “what happens when all this is over?” Even the Nazis realized it was a good idea to start covering their tracks as the invading forces began approaching their death camps, destroying evidence and marching prisoners away. I wonder how many thought far enough ahead to realize that even 60 or more years later, assorted authorities would be scouring the earth to find and punish the perpetrators? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/149 "2022-03-21T18:01:18Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Others ejected the crew straight down which seems like a very bad idea to me. Could be worse: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/78/44/f9/7844f93bf35cc6f979f0acd9a234380a.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/78/44/f9/7844f93bf35cc6f979f0acd9a234380a.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/150 "2022-03-21T23:54:44Z")
that piece of news seems pretty significant: ## Russian tabloid posts — then removes — report on Defense Ministry’s count of Russian soldier deaths in Ukraine From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy, Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published, then later removed, a report that the Russian Ministry of Defense had recorded 9,861 Russian Armed forces deaths in the war in Ukraine. The report from the tabloid originally read, “According to the Russian Defense Ministry, during the special operation in Ukraine, **the Russian Armed Forces lost 9861 people killed and 16153 wounded.** ” ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/151 "2022-03-25T01:36:27Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > To me, the hypersonic missile usage scans as training/demonstration. IMHO Basically it is an advertising move. In some cases it is to help sell the weapon overseas, in this case it is just some positive PR. The US did the same thing when they sent the B-2 over Afghanistan just to be able to claim it is a combat proven system. Though the Air Force has a variety of reasons why it is needed. > **[Why US has deployed its $2 billion worth B-2 Spirit bombers in South China Sea](https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-us-has-deployed-its-2-billion-worth-b-2-spirit-bombers-in-south-china-sea-315392#b-52s-at-diego-garcia-315385)** > > China has deployed bombers on several occasions across the South China Sea, the US military put its heaviest bomber in operation which reportedly costs $2 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/152 "2022-03-26T00:36:04Z")
lots of input on new tactics used in Kiev from the horse’s mouth… a former US-marine interviewing a US marine fighting now in kiev … _When I mentioned to Jed that I’d fought in Fallujah in 2004, he said that the tactics the Marine Corps used to take that city would never work today in Ukraine. …_ [**FULL POST HERE**](https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarReports/comments/tn9303/the_atlantic_ukraines_threetoone_advantage/) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/153 "2022-03-26T00:43:47Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > The US did the same thing when they sent the B-2 over Afghanistan just to be able to claim it is a combat proven system. They technically didn’t need to do that; the B-2 had already experienced combat before in 1999 in Kosovo. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/154 "2022-03-26T00:51:52Z")
Few tactics are really new. But what about using the enemy’s call phone network: > **[3 reasons Moscow isn't taking down Ukraine's cell networks](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/07/ukraine-phones-internet-still-work-00014487)** > > Russia has plenty to gain from keeping things running, even if it also benefits Ukraine. I don’t think it is a good tactic. From the link: > [@](#): > > Having deprived them of the opportunity to call their own numbers, the occupying forces are increasingly taking away phones from citizens. We call on Ukrainians whose mobile phones were taken away by representatives of enemy troops to inform the operator as soon as possible ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/155 "2022-03-26T12:03:05Z")
[Moderating] That was a very interesting article you quoted from, but you quoted most of it in your post. In accordance with Fair Use guidelines, we ask users to directly quote only small excerpts and refer to the source for the rest, and if you wish to summarize the rest of the article. I’ve edited your post accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/156 "2022-04-01T02:20:22Z")
Well, Russia has sent its super-special prototype tank into action; didn’t work out so well. > **[Russia’s Only Prototype T-80UM2 Tank Was Destroyed In Ukraine](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44855/russias-only-prototype-t-80um2-tank-was-destroyed-in-ukraine)** > > The T-80UM2 never led to quantity production and its presence in Ukraine remains mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/157 "2022-04-01T04:22:15Z")
Looks like it blowed up real good. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/158 "2022-04-01T05:06:57Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Well, Russia has sent its super-special prototype tank into action; didn’t work out so well. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Looks like it blowed up real good. So… Back to the drawing board? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/159 "2022-04-01T20:53:18Z")
Huh, you mean that a lone prototype of a new tank isn’t a nigh-unstoppable combat machine capable of sustaining a major push all by itself? All this time, video games have been lying to me! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204/160 "2022-04-01T21:13:02Z")
Not to mention comic books, action films and the guy at the bar down the street that swears he drove an Abrams M1A2C in Granada. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-new-weapons-weapons-tactics-have-the-russians-so-far-introduced-in-ukraine/960204.md?page=9)