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UKRAINE: THINK DEEP ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIAN

LOGISTICS

Articles

Tue, 06/28/2022 - 10:55am

Ukraine: Think Deep Attacks Against Russian Logistics

By Chuck de Caro

The current state of the Ukraine-Russian war has fallen into a see-saw struggle for small territorial
gains, much like the War in Korea in 1952-53.

While the Ukrainians are now beefing up their (https://news.usni.org/2022/06/23/u-s-sending-18-

patrol-boats-to-ukraine-as-part-of-latest-aid-package)capability (https://news.usni.org/2022/06/23/u-
s-sending-18-patrol-boats-to-ukraine-as-part-of-latest-aid-package) for offensive naval operations in
the Black Sea, as recommended in these pages months ago, those actions against the vulnerable
Russian littoral left flank have yet to occur.

With those naval operations presumably soon at hand, the Ukrainians might be well advised to
begin attacking the Russian war effort’s other great vulnerability: Logistics. Specifically, the Russian
Rail System, and the command and control structure of the Russian Army’s Material Technical
Support Brigades.

Russian Railroads: Andrew’s Raiders Redux, An Echo from the Civil War

In 1862, with the Union’s first assault on Chattanooga in the offing, the Union sought to exploit the
Confederates’ logistics vulnerability: A single track railroad line, running from Atlanta to
Chattanooga. (https://www.american-rails.com/chase.html)

James Andrews, a Union civilian scout and spy, along with fellow civilian William Campbell,
convinced General Don Carlos Buell to ask for 22 Army volunteers to infiltrate south to Georgia, steal
a train and then head north, burning bridges and wrecking track. While Andrews and his men

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ultimately failed, with Andrews hanged as a spy, as were seven others, some escaped and evaded, and
the balance were repatriated and awarded Medals of Honor.

The raid had failed because Andrews’ men had no explosives or wrecking tools, and heavy rain not
only precluded the wooden railroad bridges’ burning but slowed the men’s escape. The idea, however,
was a good one: Use the enemy’s logistics to transport raiders to specific targets inside enemy
territory; sort of like a modern computer virus, but with bytes the size of boxcars.

The Ukrainians have the advantage, as Andrews’ Raiders did, of being able to pass for the enemy.
Thus, it would be possible for Ukrainian Special Forces to take advantage of anonymity and attack
several railroad chokepoints simultaneously, deep within Russia. If successful, such strikes would not
only cause massive logistics problems that would multiply as summer faded and winter set in, but they
also would create a huge propaganda shock that would hit Putin squarely in the groin.

The targets for such attacks are four railroad bridges, one in Voronezh (https://earth.google.com
/web/@51.72462785,39.25713522,93.03642707a,357.17114035d,35y,360h,0t,0r ,) one in V
(https://earth.google.com
/web/@48.82921693,44.62936589,12.46070253a,345.34629999d,35y,355.81660849h,0t,0r ,)ologograd
(https://earth.google.com
/web/@48.82921693,44.62936589,12.46070253a,345.34629999d,35y,355.81660849h,0t,0r ,) and two
at the intersection of railways in Fokinsky Rayon (file:///C:/Users/Owner/Desktop
/Chucks%20Documents/documents/ https:/earth.google.com
/web/@53.23300964,34.43960237,151.88060429a,1971.53073169d,35y,0h,0t,0r .).

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https://earth.google.com
/web/@51.72462785,39.25713522,93.03642707a,357.17114035d,35y,360h,0t,0r
(https://earth.google.com
/web/@51.72462785,39.25713522,93.03642707a,357.17114035d,35y,360h,0t,0r)

https://earth.google.com
/web/@48.82921693,44.62936589,12.46070253a,345.34629999d,35y,355.81660849h,0t,0r
(https://earth.google.com
/web/@48.82921693,44.62936589,12.46070253a,345.34629999d,35y,355.81660849h,0t,0r)

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https://earth.google.com
/web/@53.23300964,34.43960237,151.88060429a,1971.53073169d,35y,0h,0t,0r
(https://earth.google.com
/web/@53.23300964,34.43960237,151.88060429a,1971.53073169d,35y,0h,0t,0r)

The four bridges all are choke points whose destruction would cause the aforementioned logistical
nightmare and require redeployment of large numbers of troops to secure important railway viaducts.

Getting In...And Out

While it might be possible to hijack a train, the better way would be to use Soviet-era Russian
high-rail trucks still in the Ukrainian inventory. These 6x6 trucks have hydraulically-operated train
wheels which can be lowered to use railways or raised to use roads. Each truck would be completely
loaded with fuel and explosives…. several tons’ worth.

By using meticulous pre-attack reconnaissance and diversionary strikes, it would be possible to

insert three trucks, each with four soldiers, into Russia, using both road and rail to get to the bridges in
question. In addition, decrypts of Russian Railway Troops’ communications, transmitted to the UKR
Special Forces soldiers, would keep them apprised of trains already on tracks that would impair their
movement. At each bridge, the soldiers would pack the Semtex plastic explosive as required by the
formula, P=R cubed KC. But forget the formula: With railroad bridges, P is for PLENTY).

Before leaving the UKR commandoes should “return” captured (banned) Russian POM-3 anti-
personnel mines, as a “welcome” for the material technical troops. Also left behind are hidden satellite
video cameras designed to capture the bridge blast and the aftermath as the Russians get caught up in

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their own banned anti-personnel mines. A rather large propaganda payoff and certainly a blow to
Russian Army morale.

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At

each bridge site, the soldiers would be met by previously infiltrated “friendlies” equipped with civilian
vehicles, false documents, local currency, and gold. As the delay timers detonate tons of Semtex,
sending the bridges skyward, the Ukrainians would head east to safe houses; and then after some time
has passed, they would head south to exfiltrate via one of “The Stans.”

Targeted killings Of Material Technical Brigade Leadership

While the Ukrainians have focused on killing a dozen Russian generals and other front line
commanders, they might be well advised to start taking out commanders and senior staff of the
Material Technical Brigades.

Following the adage that amateurs think tactics and professionals think logistics, the cost-benefit
ratio of taking out highly-skilled military engineering officers upon whom rapid repair of critical
infrastructure is dependent, should be obvious. These officers are limited in number and their skills not
easily replaced. In effect, their loss is a “reverse force multiplier.”

Therefore, every effort should be made to decrypt Russian communications, especially as these
officers rush to the scene of the destroyed bridges, and induce their demise via drone, missile, or
special operations ambushes.

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The result of these kind of actions will stall Russian offensive operations, cause troops to be
redeployed from the battle front to secure lines of communications and leave a much bigger headache
for Vladimir Putin.

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About the Author(s)

Chuck de Caro (/author/chuck-de-caro)

Chuck de Caro is an information warfare consultant and contributing-author of

the Cyberwar series of textbooks used by US and Allied war colleges. He has taught
at the National Defense University and the National Intelligence University, where he
continues to lecture on SOFTWAR. He was educated at Marion Military Institute, The
US Air Force Academy and the University of Rhode Island. He served with the
20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and was later an outside researcher for the
Office of Net Assessment, where he became the progenitor of the world’s first
prototype virtual military organization called The 1st Joint SOFTWAR Unit (Virtual).

Comments

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johnroland
Wed, 06/29/2022 - Another thoughtful and… (/comment/65405#comment-65
2:10pm 405)
Permalink
(/comment
Another thoughtful and informative idea from a man with a military
/65405#comment- mind and experience who knows what he’s talking about. 
65405)
I’ll be watching Fox News and hoping to see that after Ukrainians ‘cr
oss those bridges when they get to them’ they blow them sky high a
nd lower Russian morale even further. 
Note to president zalenskyy:  call Chuck. 

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