Aug 19, 2008 7:00 AM

Russia's Rushed, Ramshackle March to South Ossetia

Russia’s nearly instantaneous reaction to Georgia’s attacks in South Ossetia might indicate that Moscow had anticipated the move. But for all its speed, the 58th Army’s armored march through mountain passes (pictured) to the Roki Tunnel betrayed "shortcomings." "Although the deployment was swift, it didn’t always run smoothly," the AP reports: As hundreds of battered […]

Russia's nearly instantaneous reaction to Georgia's attacks in South Ossetia might indicate that Moscow had anticipated the move. But for all its speed, the 58th Army's armored march through mountain passes (pictured) to the Roki Tunnel betrayed "shortcomings." "Although the deployment was swift, it didn't always run smoothly," the AP reports:

As hundreds of battered Russian armored vehicles wound through the mountain passes toward Tskhinvali, an AP reporter saw a number of tanks broken down in the road, blocking traffic; or being repaired, with soldiers working underneath them with wrenches; or even being towed by other vehicles.

Those tanks that did make it through the tunnel emerged at the far end without any air cover, leaving them vulnerable to Georgian ambushes, according to the International Herald Tribune. All the same, Russia's superior numbers, and adequate operational coordination, swamped Georgian defenses:

[T]he Russian military was able to coordinate infantry advances with movement of airborne troops, simultaneously with the deployment of armor and artillery. ... Russia was able to inject 9,000 to 10,000
troops, 150 tanks and 700 other armored vehicles onto Georgian territory in the first weekend of fighting, officials said.

Russia enjoyed one big break: Georgia failed to blow up the Roki Tunnel, despite plans to do so.

P.S.: Last week I reported that Russia had fielded T-80 tanks fitted with reactive armor in South Ossetia, but one observer, commenting on my blog War Is Boring, insists the only tanks on the battlefield were older T-72s and even T-62s from the 1970s.

(Photo: AFP)

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