Ukraine front lines are brutally brutal, and soldiers are often injured or killed just by rotating in and out of their own trench system, a Western commander who runs a training program for Ukrainian soldiers told Business Insider.
“We hear that Ukrainian forces are causing quite a few casualties by infiltrating and exfiltrating from their own trench systems the front has been static for a long time,” said Brigadier General Atle Molde, commander of Task Force Legio, a Norwegian-led multinational. attempt to train Ukrainian soldiers on NATO soil.
Swarms of drones above us collect information and attacks, making every movement a risk. Ukrainian commanders have described troop rotation as one of the most vulnerable moments for soldiers on the front line.
The drone-saturated area around the front lines is often described as a ‘kill zone’.A Ukrainian official previously told Business Insider that reaching frontline positions can take days and in many cases is the most dangerous part of the mission.
Troop rotation, resupply and relocation also entail enormous risks.
That danger is why the Western training program places special emphasis on moving in and out of trench systems. At Camp Jomsborg, a purpose-built training site in eastern Poland, “it’s all about saving lives,” Molde said.
Ukrainian soldiers train for trench warfare in a purpose-built camp in eastern Poland. Synne Nilsson/Forsvaret
Jørgen, a Norwegian army instructor for the operation’s platoon leader course who spoke on the condition that only his first name be used, told Business Insider that the training also includes using supporting fire to suppress the enemy so friendly troops can move into the trenches.
He said many of the Ukrainians coming through here already have an “incredibly high” level of combat experience and have developed effective methods on their own. The input he received from Ukrainian interns “worked when I actually tried it,” he said, and resulted in “less risk for our guys.”
Death and danger around defensive fighting positions
Trenches have long been surrounded by death and trouble in this war. However, increasing threats, especially the threat of drones, have sometimes made this situation significantly more dangerous.
Soldiers can get stuck for long periods in trenches, dugouts and other defensive positions.
Some troops have described having to spend months in one position because drones and artillery made it too dangerous to leave safely. They had to wait for weather conditions, friendly fire support, or a lucky opportunity to move without being immediately spotted and attacked.
Trenches are necessary for defense, but also pose many dangers to troops. Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images
A U.S. veteran who fought for Ukraine previously told Business Insider that life in a trench was often just waiting while “artillery shells fell on you for hours,” they said.
The danger can make seemingly basic tasks difficult. The veteran said troops could not even properly remove the enemy’s dead another American vet who fought for Ukraine said soldiers sometimes had difficulty deepening or fortifying their trenches because they “didn’t want to stick their heads out.”
“Then they get hit.”
“When guys have tried to move,” the veteran said, “they step out and immediately start getting hit, and then they have to play dead, hoping that eventually they’ll take a little break to get up and start running.”
Even staying put can offer little security. They described “literally just crouching down” and hoping that nothing collapsed the position or ended up in the trench. “You’re static in one place and there’s not much you can do about it.”
When troops cannot rotate in and out safely, soldiers can be stranded at the front for extended periods of time.
Soldiers from Ukraine’s 121st Territorial Brigade said in August that they had been living without rotation for four months and were short of food and water, according to the Kiev Independent. reported at the time.
The Command said they would be withdrawn as soon as the security situation permitted. Heavy drone surveillance had made movement to and from forward positions difficult.
Lessons in trench warfare
At Jomsborg camp, Ukrainian combat experience, including its in-depth knowledge of trench warfare, is combined with Western best practices and incorporated into the way troops train to move through trenches and fight from trenches.
Jørgen said the trench infiltration and exfiltration tactics the Ukrainians had shown him were better than any lesson he had to offer. “Stick to the principles and trying to get the guys to put their own experience into it,” he said, “I think that’s a lot more valuable than my experience.”
Ukrainian soldiers have more direct trench warfare experience than their Western allies. ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images
The trench warfare in Ukraine is unlike anything Western armies have seen in a long time. Positions are monitored by drones, battlefield kill chains are faster, allowing movements to be detected and deployed in minutes, and even routine supply runs and rotations can become deadly combat operations.
The West is paying attention and revaluing this, by working with the Ukrainians training and assumptions about this kind of warfare.
At Camp Jomsborg they are leaders trying to get the trenches to resemble those actually faced by Ukrainian forces. The training trenches were “built by the Ukrainians, or they told us how to build them” to resemble the real ones as much as possible, Molde said.
He said the trench network has “already changed a few times and we have only been active for less than a year,” highlighting the challenge of keeping up with a rapidly evolving battlefield.
Although less of a focus for many Western armies, trench operations are a crucial and deadly part of regular operations, which is why it is a priority at Jomsborg. He said the goal is for as many Ukrainians as possible to do so “survive this battle as long as possible.”
The hope, he added, is that “we reach a situation where Ukraine can negotiate a ceasefire or a ceasefire on good terms. That’s what it’s all about.”
