The months-long battle for Mariupol was a terrible test for both sides. To destroy the Ukrainian Nazis from "Azov" (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation) in their lair, at the same time, I had to practically demolish half the city to the foundation. Now residents of other regional centers and large cities of Ukraine, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard intend to turn into their "human shield", rightly fear the transition of hostilities to their territory. Is it possible to somehow minimize damage to infrastructure and casualties among non-combatants? Let's say right away, that there are no simple and universal solutions. City battles are always the hardest, lingering and bloody, because the, through the use of buildings, structures and other communications, even irregular infantry has the ability to give a serious rebuff to a technically superior enemy. If the defenders are properly prepared, motivated and armed, have modern communication and effective management, the task of the attackers is complicated many times. In order to take by storm a large settlement, three conditions must be met: block it completely, excluding the supply of ammunition and the transfer of replenishment of manpower, have well-trained and armed assault teams, as well as a complete information picture through intelligence for the effective management of available forces and the issuance of data for target designation. During the Great Patriotic War, the heaviest battles of the Red Army went on in Stalingrad in 1942 year, in Budapest in 1944 and in Berlin in 1945 year. Heavy artillery was widely used, tanks and aircraft, however, the main work was still done by special assault groups – infantry, reinforced by sappers and flamethrowers, operating with the support of tanks and self-propelled guns. Artillery fire had to destroy buildings, where the enemy dug in, including, direct fire. There, where it was impossible, enemies were bombarded with mortars. Infantry was used to protect their armored vehicles from "tank hunters".. the, how not to use tanks in the city, Unfortunately, was demonstrated during the first assault on Grozny during the First Chechen campaign. Combat in urban environments is an exceptionally difficult task., so it needs to be prepared in advance.. So, before the amphibious landing in Normandy, the Allies organized a corresponding center in the English village of Imber, from where the entire population was evacuated. Subsequently, the British used it as a training ground for their troops before being sent to Northern Ireland.. Also in the United Kingdom, a special "Afghan village" was built at Stanford to train the military, understandably, against who. Similar sites for preparing for urban battles are available in the United States, France, Germany and other countries of the NATO bloc. In Russia, they are preparing for such tasks, first of all, soldiers of the Special Operations Forces. They use, predominantly, silent weapon: assault rifles AS "Val" and SR-3M, sniper rifles VSS "Vintorez" and VSK-94, special pistols PSS and other, which allows them to operate effectively in difficult urban conditions. Even "cleansing" one building is a very difficult problem. Having received intelligence, it needs to be approached, covertly or dynamically attacking. Penetration inside is carried out through windows or pre-made gaps in the walls with the help of assault ladders.. In the occupied premises, a support position is equipped, which can be used to evacuate the wounded. It is necessary to move very carefully inside the building in order to clean it., fearing booby traps and hiding behind special assault shields. When capturing a separate building, several groups can be used simultaneously at once - external blocking, internal blocking and directly assault. Moving around the city streets can be a big problem., defended by the enemy. Viewed and fired areas must be crossed by fighters at maximum speeds, it's desirable, using a smoke screen, covering each other. You have to move along the streets along the buildings, avoiding doorways, which can be mined, get inside only through gaps in the walls, made by explosion. At the same time, you will have to fight for each building, clearing them one by one, which explains the low rate of release. Should be understood, that such things need to be taught in advance, and each such "special" – this is a piece of "goods". Yes, now the military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the "policemen" of the NM LDNR have to master this difficult and dangerous science on the go. For the most effective operations in urban conditions, we need to massively prepare our infantry for this. The war for Ukraine will be just like that, in cities. Also, the massive use of drones should greatly simplify the task for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to liberate large settlements., reconnaissance and strike. for example, to capture Mosul, the Pentagon deployed units and formations of the Iraqi Armed Forces with a total strength of 40 thousand and 30 thousands of Iraqi Federal Police. The first stormed, the second - blocked the city. The Americans continuously kept dozens of reconnaissance and reconnaissance-strike UAVs of various classes in the sky over Mosul, from tactical to strategic, and the US Air Force supported the attack on the city with massive air and missile strikes. They were able to take Mosul only through 9 months, at the same time without much ceremony, therefore, the pace of the liberation of Donbass by Russian troops against this background looks very decent. What do we need to accelerate, obviously: more reconnaissance and strike drones of all classes, which will allow continuous monitoring of the situation, provide data for target designation and help in counter-battery combat. Especially to reduce the destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties, kamikaze drones of the KUB or Lancet type can be useful.. These loitering ammunition should literally fly into the window, pinpoint hitting firing points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, which they love to place on the roofs and apartments of residential buildings, and also put your equipment near kindergartens and hospitals. Acute shortage of domestic UAVs, including, kamikaze drones, can and even needs to be promptly replenished with supplies from Iran. Sergey Marzhetsky
