Published 2023-07-19 23:51
The washing machine can be a death trap.
Or the lighter left behind.
Even a fallen enemy soldier is seen as a threat.
The Russian troops are doing everything to slow down the Ukrainian offensive.
Any everyday object can be a threat as Ukrainian troops advance towards the Russian positions.
The Russian strategy against Ukraine’s counter-offensive has been to dig in, build huge defensive positions and mine the terrain.
Fear the bomb traps
Ukraine’s slow advance has been further slowed by landmines and booby traps left by Russian soldiers as they retreated towards their fortified defensive positions.
Hidden explosive devices serve both as a way to delay Ukrainian troops – and to incapacitate soldiers who fall victim to the booby traps.
Russian planning for the Ukraine offensive has been going on for months, digging trenches and placing vehicle and person mines.
Ever since the outbreak of war, Russian soldiers have deployed hidden explosive devices as they retreated from various locations in Ukraine.
“Very careful”
Washing machines, cars, toys and dead Russian soldiers have been discovered rigged to various types of explosive devices, writes Newsweek.
In a clip on social media, a Ukrainian soldier shows how lighters left behind contained explosive charges designed to explode if an attempt was made to light the flame.
In a video from the front, soldier Roman Trokhymet films mines and half-buried hand grenades left behind by Russian troops.
1 / 3Photo: Getty Images
– We have to be very careful because there are many surprises here, he says in the clip.
Deadliest threat
According to Erik Kramer, American former elite soldier who now trains Ukrainian soldiers in the war, the mining and bomb traps are an important strategy for Russia.
– In addition to artillery shelling, I would say that minefields and minefields are the deadliest threats. The Russians mine everything and leave landmines everywhere. Even in the trees, he says to Newsweek.
– They even plant mines to get at the engineering troops. The Russians do what they usually do: Use mines, artillery and soldiers in large numbers.
And for Russia, the tactic is nothing new.
– It is a legacy of the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya, especially Chechnya, says Russian political analyst and researcher Pavel Luzin to Newsweek.