Drones and cheap missiles have leveled the odds — the war in Ukraine is stripping superpowers of their advantage
A thwarted attempt at a blitzkrieg-style occupation exposed the limits of force and forced actors from Brussels to Beijing to reassess their military doctrines
The war in Ukraine has exposed the limits of power even for the largest states and shown that classic invasions followed by occupation are becoming less feasible, as the spread of drones and inexpensive precision missiles reduces the advantages of more powerful armies; these conclusions are presented in a piece in The Wall Street Journal.
Despite a significant disparity in military capabilities with Russia, Ukraine thwarted plans for a large-scale occupation, held the front line, and is striking central regions of Russia, the analysis by The Wall Street Journal notes.
“That type of war we are used to, that type of war Russia planned in Ukraine — invasion and occupation of a country — is no longer conceivable. Conquering a country when its citizens are ready to fight is impossible even with a significant advantage in force,” said Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
Chief of Defence Staff of the Netherlands Onno Eichelsheim believes that under modern conditions, changing political regimes cannot be achieved by military means alone.
Against the backdrop of the world’s focus on the technological factor in the war, Beijing is also analyzing the Ukrainian experience: retired Colonel Zhou Bo notes that China produces the most drones but lacks experience in their large-scale combat use.
“Only those who have used drones on the battlefield can tell how effective they really are,” emphasized retired Colonel Zhou Bo.
Singaporean analyst Bilahari Kausikan emphasizes that the key lesson of the Ukrainian story is not so much external support for democracy as that Ukrainians first organized the resistance themselves, after which international assistance expanded.
Earlier we wrote:
- 164 robotic strikes replaced 2,300 fighters: CNN showed how Ukraine conducts a networked drone war
- Almost two days of terror: Russia launched 1,567 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine
- Are Kinzhal missiles no longer omnipotent? Ukraine announced a breakthrough that could save cities from missiles
- Ukraine is introducing drone-assault units: new territories liberated in the south since February
- Ukraine showed the world a new kind of war: drones instead of nuclear bombers
