Ukrainian push tests Russian defenses as accidents mount
During the early phase of the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, the Russians acted quite chaotically. Now, some decisions made are reportedly causing up to 40 deaths per day.
Initially, in addition to forming military units from all available resources, the Russians fortified roads in the rear as far as 40 kilometres from the active battle lines.
It has since emerged that these hastily constructed fortifications are poorly mapped and inadequately marked. This, combined with very fast night driving without lights, is leading to numerous fatal accidents—Russian channels on Telegram report up to 40 soldier deaths daily.
Night vehicle raids near the front line — the last resort for survival
It's important to mention that the Russians use civilian vehicles for logistics in the rear, particularly UAZ-452 Buchanka minibuses. These vehicles offer decent off-road capabilities and payload capacity, but being civilian, they are highly vulnerable to any kind of fire.
Therefore, Russian and Ukrainian drivers typically attempt to complete their assigned routes as swiftly as possible, often with lights off to reduce the chance of being detected. Some Buchankas can reach up to 150 kilometres per hour, which often isn't sufficient to evade an FPV drone. Colliding with a concrete barrier at such a speed can be fatal.
Dragon's teeth — a basic anti-vehicle barrier
Dragon's teeth are concrete or reinforced concrete triangles designed to stop or slow enemy vehicles on roads. They are effective against classic 4x4 vehicles or wheeled transporters. However, a tracked vehicle, such as a fast-moving tank weighing tens of tonnes, can drive over them if the barrier is not buried, which is typically the case when simply set on the road.
Conversely, if they block only part of the road, they might, at best, stop some civilian vehicles, but not all of them, since off-road vehicles can navigate around them if there are no anti-tank mines present. Otherwise, the only solution is to destroy such obstacles with explosives.
