Ukraine can announce its first successes and claims to have overcome the Russians’ first line of defense in the south of the country. Increased emphasis is now to be placed on the use of snipers. This reports the German news website merkur.de with reference to the Wall Street Journal.
“Snipers become much more important when the front lines stabilize, as has been the case in recent months,” Mark Cancian, a consultant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is quoted as saying. The main role of the snipers is reconnaissance, but also to create chaos in the Russian army. According to the Wall Street Journal report, the specific mission of the snipers is currently to target and eliminate top Russian generals. “When troops are organizing for an attack and their lieutenant suddenly falls, the unit goes into disarray,” said military historian Robert Scales. That can completely disorganize entire units, he said, making them an easier target. Merkur.de then refers to an interview in German television, ZDF, with a Ukrainian sniper who reported similar things. “As a sniper, you always shoot the officers first. This destabilizes the enemy units. Because without leadership, panic and chaos breaks out.”
Image: kremlin.ru, Совещание по развитию дальневосточных городов (2023-03-14) 02, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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