The Russians quadrupled the depth of their defensive minefields, from 120 meters to 500 meters—and also increased the density of mines within the expanded fields. [Earlier, when initially laying the mines]
The Russians quadrupled the depth of their defensive minefields, from 120 meters to 500 meters—and also increased the density of mines within the expanded fields. [Earlier, when initially laying the mines]
I don’t specifically know how the Surovikin Line’s defense was planned, but historically, in World War I, the basic idea in trench warfare was that you maintained a substantial reserve. If the line was penetrated, you rapidly counterattacked to regain that section of the line.
I believe that Russia did counterattack, from what I’ve read, but that the counterattack failed to push Ukrainian forces back behind the first line.
https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/09/06/frontline-report-russian-counterattacks-fail-near-robotyne-southern-front-as-ukrainians-keep-pushing-south/
You can also construct more trenches if one trench network is penetrated, limit the losses.
I don’t know if Russia is going to do that. I have not seen discussion of more construction south of the breach, and the open-source-intelligence maps of Russian fortifications from satellite imagery at places like https://deepstatemap.live (click on the little button with a fort) don’t have new lines to the south showing up.
It may be hard to construct them near the front compared to WWI, as they’d be under fire from Ukrainian artillery, and with drones and other reconaissance making construction visible, the trench-digging machines and the like are presumably vulnerable.
Also, if Russia withdraws to a new line on the land bridge, I don’t know if the road network is very amenable to supplying the trenchworks. My understanding from prior reading is that this is why Ukraine is aiming to cut Russian lines to the east of Tokmak, as it makes transportation harder. There’s not a lot of north-south roads off the M14, which is Russia’s remaining safe east-west link.
I have seen recent discussion of construction of fortifications on Crimea, so it may be that that is Russia’s next fallback. I assume that if there was going to be a new main line on the land bridge, that construction resources would be fully directed there, rather than at Crimea.
I will be interested to see if satellite imagery picks up construction of more fortifications on the land bridge, though.