The Russian Federation is unlikely to be able to deploy mobile fire groups on a full scale.
Lukoil oil refinery.
The Russians are beefing up defenses to counter Ukrainian drones, but they are unlikely to be able to deploy mobile fire teams on the scale they need.
This is stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
< >Russia increasingly faces the threat of Ukrainian drones both in occupied Ukraine and in Russia at oil refineries and other critical infrastructure facilities supporting Russia's military efforts .
To counter drones, the Russians are forming mobile fire teams within unspecified combined arms armies, as well as air and air defense armies to combat drones. These occupiers will be equipped with thermal imagers, electronic warfare systems and machine guns mounted on pickup trucks. However, it is unknown whether these mobile groups will be able to protect the territory targeted by Ukrainian drones. to protect against regular attacks by suicide bombers.
The decision of the Russian military command to form mobile fire groups is likely a response to the intensification of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil refineries in February and March.
It is noted that Russia cannot adequately defend against Ukrainian drone attacks.
ISW analysts suggest that Russian forces are having difficulty adequately deploying short-range air defense systems along the expected flight vectors of Ukrainian drones, and the Russian military appears to be , were not even able to cover important potential targets in well-defended areas of Russia.
“The massive deployment of mobile fire groups in western Russia could create similar problems for Russian troops, since the Russian military may not be able to provide a sufficient number of such groups on the required scale,” the report says.
- The Kremlin’s top bosses gave instructions to oil refinery managers to purchase electronic warfare systems and use “camouflage” against drone strikes.
- British intelligence : Pantsir air defense systems are planned to be deployed to protect the refinery. However, given the size and scale of the Russian energy industry, it is unlikely that Russia will be able to protect all vulnerable facilities.