What lessons are there for China in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
- Russian armed forces were able to mount a sudden attack despite being under constant US watch
- Ukrainian resistance to an airfield assault points to complexity of airborne use of special forces, blogger says
In a report on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV said Russian armed forces had so far deployed five main tactics, including precision bombing of key military targets; a race by rapid response forces to control critical hubs; and combining land, sea and air forces in an all-direction assault.
The Russian military also used misinformation to conceal real deployments and progress; and instigated rebellions in enemy-controlled areas in advance, the report said.
But observers cautioned that two days after the invasion began, Russia had not fully reached its goal.
For instance, early on Thursday a squadron of Russian armed helicopters successfully landed a couple of hundred of special forces at the Antonov Airport, a cargo airfield just outside Kyiv, and seized it.
The aim was to establish a bridgehead to bring in more airborne troops and heavy equipment to take over the Ukraine capital.
But Ukrainian troops launched a fierce counteroffensive and each side claimed control of the facility.
Friday afternoon almost 30 hours after landing, the Russian side said it had the upper hand, but it was unclear whether or when it could bring in more paratroopers.
“The main task of this special unit has been largely thwarted, given that no further airborne forces were successfully deployed to this airfield,” popular Chinese blogger Military Express said.
The author said the case showed the complexity of mounting a major airborne assault using special forces.
“It requires many preconditions for implementation and demands a high degree of articulation and cooperation between different services and combat units,” Military Express said.
“The lessons it has taught other countries, China in particular, are profound.”
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Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong said that while the overall operation may not have been of a high standard, it was carried out quickly.
Ni said the United States had all types of advanced reconnaissance and intelligence equipment and had warned of Russian forces massing on the border – to the point of predicting the time of attack.
But when the operation actually started, Ukrainian forces did not seem prepared.
“Putin played a psychological trick. He used drills as disguise, not just once, but four or five times, to fatigue the enemy’s vigilance,” Ni said, pointing out that the Russian troops pulled back at the first few times the US intelligence predicted.
“So this shows how to mount a sudden attack in the future, even when the US is watching you.”
