Russia’s war is entering new stage, while Ukrainian army needs new capabilities – Zaluzhnyi

Russia's war against Ukraine is now moving to a new stage and is becoming a "positional" war, as in the First World War, and this will benefit Russia.

But there is a way out of this situation, says the AFU Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluznhyi to The Economist.

The war is now moving to a new stage: what we in the military call "positional" warfare of static and attritional fighting, as in the first world war, in contrast to the "manoeuvre" warfare of movement and speed. This will benefit Russia, allowing it to rebuild its military power, eventually threatening Ukraine's armed forces and the state itself.

Zaluzhnyi says basic weapons such as missiles and shells remain important for Ukraine, and the Armed Forces also need key military capabilities and technologies to get out of such a war. The most important asset is air power, as control of the sky is necessary for large-scale ground operations.

The Commander-in-Chief called the availability of drones one of the most vital things on the battlefield. Ukraine should launch massive strikes using attack drones to overwhelm Russian air defense systems.

He added that electronic warfare (EW), such as jamming communication and navigation signals, is no less important.

EW is the key to victory in the drone war. Russia modernised its EW forces over the past decade, creating a new branch of its army and building 60 new types of equipment. It outdoes us in this area: 65% of our jamming platforms at the start of the war were produced in Soviet times.

Zaluzhnyi adds that innovative approaches can turn this war of positions into a war of manoeuvres. Ukraine needs greater access to electronic intelligence from its allies and the expansion of production lines for electronic warfare systems in Ukraine and abroad.

The counter-battery warfare, which will lead to the destruction of enemy artillery, is also a priority.

In this war, as in most past wars, artillery, rocket and missile fire make up 60-80% of all the military tasks. When we first received Western guns last year, we were quite successful at locating and striking Russian artillery. But the effectiveness of weapons such as Excalibur, a gps-guided American shell, has declined dramatically owing to improved Russian electronic warfare.

Other priorities include mine-blasting technologies that will allow for landmine clearance.

Zaluzhnyi said the last priority is to build up reserves.

However, our capacity to train reserves on our own territory is also limited. We cannot easily spare soldiers who are deployed to the front. Moreover, Russia can strike training centres. And there are gaps in our legislation that allow citizens to evade their responsibilities.

The military command is trying to fix these problems, including the introduction of a unified register of conscripts.

We are also introducing a "combat internship", which involves placing newly mobilised and trained personnel in experienced front-line units to prepare them.

Zaluzhnyi also called for underestimating Russia, which, despite its losses, will have an advantage in weapons, equipment, missiles and ammunition for a long time.