THE RUSSIAN ARMY’S DEFICIENCIES IN OPERATION ”Z”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-22-97Keywords:
operation ”Z”;, military logistics;, shortcomings, ; technique;, conventional warfareAbstract
Operation “Z” launched by Russia on 24.02.2022 against Ukraine is facing severe logistical problems on the ground. The railway infrastructure they rely on and cannot fully meet their requirements, outdated logistical equipment, difficulties and limitations in securing fuel requirements have been frequently reported problems in the last weeks of the conflict. The logistics support doctrine of the Russian forces contains some organizational and functional inadequacies. From its analysis it appears that a logistic support battalion with its personnel and equipment is not able to fully meet the support requirements of the forces served. Apparently, this deficiency is encountered both at the tactical and the operational and strategic level, as it becomes evident from the analysis of several articles and scholarly works regarding the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The present article aims, based on the analysis of information available from open sources (articles, TV reports and social media posts), to identify the source of the logistical problems faced by the Russian armed forces.
References
Ambasada României în Federația Rusă. 2021. iulie 13. Accessed April 19, 2022. https://moscova.mae.ro/node/484.
Berkowitz, Bonnie, and Artur Galocha. 2022. “Why the Russian military is bogged down by logistics
in Ukraine.” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/30/russiamilitary-logistics-supply-chain/.
Biroul Român de Metrologie Legală - BRML. 2005. Norma de metrologie legală NML 041-05 “Aparate
pentru măsurarea elementelor căii ferate sau de metrou” . https://lege5.ro/Gratuit/g42damzy/
norma-de-metrologie-legala-nml-041-05-aparate-pentru-masurarea-elementelor-caii-ferate-saude-metrou-din-14062005.
Champion, Marc. 2022. “Railways helped drive Russia off track and into Ukraine’s cities.” The Economic
Dancu, Ionel. 2010. Cum a apărut temuta tactică germană <>. https://historia.ro/sectiune/
actualitate/cum-a-aparut-temuta-tactica-germana-blitzkrieg-582522.html.
Grau, Dr. Lester W., și Charles K. Bartles. 2016. The Russian Way of War - Force Structure, Tactics, and
Modernization of the Russian Ground Forces. https://www.armyupress.army.mil/portals/7/hot%20
spots/documents/russia/2017-07-the-russian-way-of-war-grau-bartles.pdf.
Marian, Jakub. n.d. Track gauge by country in Europe. Accessed April 19, 2022. https://jakubmarian.
com/track-gauge-by-country-in-europe/.
ORYX. 2022. Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian
Invasion Of Ukraine. https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documentingequipment.html.
Persson, Gudrun. 2006. Russian Military Capability in a Ten-Year Perspective 2016.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. n.d. BLITZKRIEG (LIGHTNING WAR). Washington, DC.
Accessed April 19, 2022. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blitzkrieg-lightning-war.
Vershinin, Alex. 2021. Feeding the bear: a closer look at Russian army logistics and the fait accompli.
https://warontherocks.com/2021/11/feeding-the-bear-a-closer-look-at-russian-army-logistics/.
Bulletin of ”Carol I” National Defence University
December 2022
—. 2022. Russia`s logistical problems may slow down Russia`s advance - but they are unlikely to stop
Wikipedia. 2022. Invazia Rusiei în Ucraina (2022). https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invazia_
Rusiei_%C3%AEn_Ucraina_(2022)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The published articles are subject to copyright law. All rights are reserved to the “Carol I” National Defense University, regardless of whether all or part of the material are considered, especially the rights to translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, quotations, broadcasting through the media, reproduction on microfilms or any other way and storage in data banks. Any replicas without the associated fees are authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
BULLETIN OF "CAROL I" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY 
