Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
by A.R. Fomenko
“There is no day off from war.”
VIENNA BUREAU – As drones are making headway for both sides of the war in Ukraine, older style fighting has not left the battlefield.
Both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces make this clear especially on video, showing that even when unmanned vehicles wreak havoc on targets, armor and artillery remain in play.
Video by the Akhmat-Chechnya regiment.
In one video (above), posted on a social messaging channel, artillery of Russia’s 1434th “Akhmat-Chechnya” regiment launch their attacks from a dug-in position, and from the edge of the forest. In the video, a true “fire pit” is shown with its camouflaged cover left open. The soldiers are shown operating in what the military says is the Sudzhansky district, in Kursk, Russia.
“They work effectively, fruitfully,” according to a channel dedicated to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The forces are standing fast against Ukrainian forces, the channel states.
On the opposing side, Ukraine depicts a tank advancing through snow and water, and maneuvering atop a pit.
A narrator notes: “War has no shortage of bad weather. There is no day off from war.”
“There is no day off from war.” – Ukrainian armed forces.
Amid the standard, World War II-style tactics, drones have become a defining feature of modern combat.
Over the past year, Ukrainian drones have proven to be a formidable challenge, targeting Russian armored vehicles with precision strikes that have significantly eroded Russia’s mechanized capabilities. These drones have exploited vulnerabilities in Russian defenses, particularly in areas where traditional anti-aircraft systems struggle to neutralize small, agile aerial threats.
Russia, meanwhile, is developing new techniques for using fibre-optic drones.
READ MORE from A.R. Fomenko: ‘The Helicopter Fell Apart’: Ka-52 Goes Down Over Kherson
None of the combat styles seems to have made significant impact in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces have held on since launching a surprise incursion in August.
“At present, the situation in the Kursk region can be called stable,” according to a social media channel whose name translates in English to, Archangel of Special Forces. In recent days, “the main activity was limited to the enemy infantry trying to establish itself in the nearest forest regiments and settlements.”
Fighting inside Kursk and elsewhere has continued unabated, with much maneuvering underway in advance of Jan. 20, when Donald Trump will be installed as president of the United States.
What will be most effective? One Russian former soldier weighs in from a cafe in Vienna.
“Drones, infantry, artillery, mortar – who knows,” Maksim said. “For now, I expect nothing to change – only that a war is going on.”
A.R. Fomenko is based out of Soldier of Fortune’s Vienna Bureau. He previously has written about the war in Ukraine.
