Field Fortifications In Ukraine

Both Ukraine and Russia have built field fortifications on the territory of Ukraine, consisting of infantry trenches, barbed wire, anti-tank ditches, dragon’s teeth and minefields.

A simple shoulder height trench allows soldiers to fire at the enemy when standing but only offers full protection against enemy fire when crouching.

A head height trench offers full protection from enemy fire when standing but must have firing points without a protective parapet to allow soldiers to fire at the enemy.

A better trench design has a firing step to allow soldiers to fire at the enemy but offers full protection against enemy fire when standing.

However, no trench can offer full protection against indirect fire from artillery, or from the use of drones.

To protect against the drone threat, simple trench covers can be used to hide troop positions.

Trenches could also be slightly buried to offer superior protection however this is more the job of bunkers.

An anti-tank ditch is simply a very large trench that an armoured vehicle cannot cross without getting stuck in.

Dragon’s teeth are large concrete pyramids that armoured vehicles cannot drive over; they are most effective when slightly buried however this takes more time so is rarely done.

These can also be connected by thick steel wire to complicate their removal.

Both anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines are very common in Ukraine being either Unburied, partially buried or fully buried.

There is widespread use of unburied scatterable mines in Ukraine.

A typical Russian defence line consists of an anti-tank ditch, dragon’s teeth and infantry trenches, interspersed with extensive minefields. Both continuous lines of trenches and spaced-out trench forts are common across different sections of the occupied territories.

A typical Ukrainian defence line consists of the same core elements however with a significantly reduced, or no, usage of landmines as Ukraine wants to avoid landmine contamination of its territory. Most trenches are built as forts to cover a larger span of the front in the quickest possible time, with the least resources.

Hopefully one day these fortifications will no longer be needed so Ukraine and its people can live in peace.

 

Images Credit:

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ak74l.png

tank-afv.com/coldwar/ussr/T-72.php

Ukrainian MOD - www.mil.gov.ua/news/2024/03/07/na-oboronnih-rubezhah-prodovzhuetsya-budivnicztvo-fortifikaczijnih-sporud/

Dobrych - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typical_agricultural_landscape_of_Kherson_Oblast.jpg

United Nations Cartographic Section; Alex Khristov. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Outline_of_Ukraine.svg

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