THE RUSSIAN ARMY’S DEFICIENCIES IN OPERATION ”Z”

Abstract

Operation “Z” launched by Russia on 24.02.2022 against Ukraine is facing severe logistical problems on the ground. The railway infrastructure they rely on and cannot fully meet their requirements, outdated logistical equipment, difficulties and limitations in securing fuel requirements have been frequently reported problems in the last weeks of the conflict. The logistics support doctrine of the Russian forces contains some organizational and functional inadequacies. From its analysis it appears that a logistic support battalion with its personnel and equipment is not able to fully meet the support requirements of the forces served. Apparently, this deficiency is encountered both at the tactical and the operational and strategic level, as it becomes evident from the analysis of several articles and scholarly works regarding the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The present article aims, based on the analysis of information available from open sources (articles, TV reports and social media posts), to identify the source of the logistical problems faced by the Russian armed forces.