Russian forces employ Vietnam-era traps as modern tactics falter
The Russians are employing increasingly primitive combat methods. One such technique involves simple but somewhat effective anti-personnel traps, which can be described as a modern adaptation of the famed Viet Cong traps based on punji sticks. We explain what they are and how they compare to contemporary solutions.
A photo has surfaced online showing a batch of traps assembled by the Russians, heavily inspired by the Viet Cong tactics from the Vietnam War era. In the photo below, traps resembling snares constructed with boxes are ready to be buried. The only difference lies in using nails welded with a MIG welder instead of the carved bamboo punji sticks known from the Vietnamese originals.
The trap comprises boards studded with nails, which, when stepped on in the correct spot, are designed to rise from the ground and clamp shut, driving the nails into the leg above the boot, thereby hindering the soldier. These wounds are not fatal if medical help is received, but for the attacking group, it proverbially means one less rifle in the fight.
In another photo, you can see excavated pits with grates, likely intended to "discipline" Russian soldiers refusing to participate in infantry charges, also called "meat assaults." It is also possible that the pits serve to hold prisoners if any have been captured.
Vietnamese-style traps vs. modern solutions
This is a very primitive method, indicating that the Russian unit employing it lacks modern solutions to secure the area, such as MON-50 directional mines or similar devices.
Today, these mines are vital in securing paths against enemy activity. Depending on the type, they feature proximity fuses or are detonated by pulling a pre-stretched wire attached to a nearby tree, for instance.
They also offer significant destructive power, usually creating a literal "wall of shrapnel" with an effective range of approximately 50 metres at the moment of explosion, which can, for example, strike an entire assault group. The same cannot be said of the Vietnamese-style traps, which, until recently, could only be seen in museums.
