Russia’s Own Defenses Are Hurting Its Operations in Kursk
This is not the first time Moscow’s troops have been “bitten” by their own dragon’s teeth.
Terrain has long impacted the movements of military forces, and the same conditions that once helped deter foreign invaders are now hurting the Russian military’s latest counteroffensive efforts in western Russia.
Recent reports from the “occupied” Kursk Oblast in Russia suggest that the Kremlin’s forces are being bogged down by defenses that Moscow originally erected against threats from the west. In addition to Russian “dragon’s teeth,” which limited the movement of armored vehicles and tanks, winter mud and craters further impacted a recent attack.
These conditions have resulted in a largely unplanned trap, but one that succeeded in ensnaring the Russian forces.
Euromaidan Press reported, “Ukrainians turned the pre-existing Russian defenses in Kursk against them, unleashing a barrage of drones and ATGMs as the Russian columns tried desperately to move forward.”
The Dragon’s Teeth Bite Back
This is not the first time Moscow’s troops have been “bitten” by their own dragon’s teeth. The concrete anti-tank structures were placed on roads in Kursk by Russian forces last fall after Kyiv launched its counter-invasion into the region.
According to the Ukrainian military, the structures were haphazardly placed “in a disorganized manner” and “adjacent units” weren’t notified. As a result, dozens of Russian soldiers were killed and as many wounded after trucks carrying the troops drove into the defensive structures during the nighttime hours in October. Civilians near the frontlines have also been killed when their vehicles smashed into the pyramid-shaped objects.
Many of the same dragon’s teeth remain—as special equipment is often required to remove the barriers from the roads and nearby fields.
As Forbes.com reported, the dragon’s teeth were first employed during the Second World War and were usually “made of solid concrete and typically 3-4 feet high.” The site noted that “a line of dragon’s teeth will stop any vehicles, including tanks, from using a road until they are cleared.”
The British used the spikes along beaches where it was believed the Germans might mount an invasion in 1940, while Germany later employed them on its “West Wall” as part of the anti-invasion defenses, and along the “Siegfried Line,” where the defenses did aid in slowing down Allied tanks and other vehicles.
The dragon’s teeth have remained an effective deterrent to heavy vehicles into the 21st century, and numerous countries have adapted them for their own borders. Notably, Poland and Lithuania each placed the defensive barriers along their frontier with Russia, in preparation for another attack from the east.
Yet the dragon’s teeth aren’t the only defensive measures to see a comeback.
Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian forces utilized “Czech hedgehogs,” a steel obstacle that was meant to slow down an invading force, on its roads and highways. Unlike the concrete barriers, though, the Czech hedgehogs proved relatively easy to push out of the way.
The Rasputitsa Strikes Again
Moscow’s counteroffensive in Kursk is facing another issue—one that isn’t all that different from one nearly three years ago. In Russia, the late fall and early spring are known as the “Rasputitsa,” when travel on unpaved roads across the vast open plains becomes very difficult for vehicles.
There was speculation in January 2022 that Moscow had been waiting for the ground to freeze before launching its invasion, but it has faced the “Rasputitsa” on multiple occasions in the ongoing war.
Just as mud, caters and trenches proved to be serious obstacles for tanks in the First World War, the situation continues in the present day. The difference is that tanks that are bogged down in the mud aren’t just targeted by artillery. Man-portable anti-tank launchers and drones are being employed to take out any vehicle that becomes immobilized.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
