Ukraine using US-developed resistance warfare to battle Russian invasion: report
Six months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government in Kyiv is successfully using a form of resistance warfare prepared by the US special forces to fight back against Russia, officials have said. It is reported by Upmp.news with reference to “Polskie Radio”.
The method, called The Resistance Operating Concept (ROC), was drawn up by the US special forces in 2013, following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, but “its value was only realised after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014,” the US broadcaster CNN reported, as cited by the Polish Kresy24.pl website.
Total defence
According to CNN, the ROC “provides a blueprint for smaller nations to effectively resist and confront a larger neighbour that has invaded.”
It’s an innovative and unconventional approach that guides Ukraine’s army, as well as involving the civilian population in the concerted resistance against Russian invaders, officials have said, as reported by CNN.
‘All hands on deck’
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Schwartz, who was commander of US Army’s Special Operations Command Europe during ROC’s development, outlined the doctrine in the following way: “It’s all hands on deck in terms of the comprehensive defence for the government of Ukraine.”
He added: “They’re using every resource and they’re also using some highly unconventional means by which to disrupt the Russian federation military.”
Kevin D. Stringer, a retired Army Colonel who led the development team for the ROC, recognises the use of the plan in a series of recent Ukrainian attacks and explosions at Russian facilities in Crimea.
Stringer told CNN: “Since you can’t do it conventionally, you would use special operations forces, and those [forces] would need resistance support — intelligence, resources, logistics — in order to access these regions.”
Ukraine’s attacks in Crimea
A Ukrainian government report shared with CNN “acknowledged Ukraine was behind the attacks on Russian bases and an ammunition depot,” the US broadcaster said, as cited by kresy24.pl.
CNN noted that the attacks happened “far behind enemy lines,” and were “beyond the range of the weapons the US and others have publicly sent to Ukraine.”
Moreover, “videos of the explosions did not appear to show any incoming missile or drone,” the US broadcaster added, noting that “Russia blamed sabotage or detonating ammunition for the explosions.”
Ukraine’s resistance
Early in the war, the government in Kyiv created a website that outlines various ways to resist, CNN reported.
These include nonviolent actions, such as the boycotting of public events, labour strikes, and even humour and satire.
As CNN reported, “the goal is to disrupt the ability of pro-Russian authorities to govern while reminding the population of Ukraine’s rightful sovereignty.”
“The resistance doctrine suggests violent actions as well,” the US broadcaster added, “including using Molotov cocktails, deliberately starting fires and putting chemicals in gas tanks to sabotage enemy vehicles.”
Controlling the narrative
Moreover, the ROC doctrine “calls for a broad messaging campaign to control the narrative of the conflict, prevent an occupier’s message from taking hold, and keep the population united,” CNN reported.
It noted that “Videos of Ukrainian strikes against Russian tanks, often to a soundtrack of pop music or heavy metal, have gone viral, as have clips of Ukrainian soldiers rescuing stray animals.”
According to the US broadcaster, “Whether intentional or not, it becomes part of the resistance, allowing Ukraine to frame the headlines in western media in their favour and often humanising Ukrainian service members in ways the Russian military has abjectly failed to do.”
CNN noted that “The ongoing messaging barrage” has fueled a groundswell of foreign support for Ukraine and successfully increased pressure on western governments “to supply more arms and ammunition to Ukraine.”
Monday is day 187 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: cnn.edition.com, kresy24.pl