Earlier in the war Russians welded similar structures, mostly on top like a roof, as a counter measure against javelin and other conventional anti-armour missiles, which is entirely ineffective. However, as the war progressed to rely on FPV drones carrying relatively less explosives, and the structures covering a lot more of the body of the vehicles, it gives the vehicles a fighting chance. Still not effective against conventional weapons though.

[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I've heard this, but then read things that dug a little more. They started around a decade before hand, and it was likely to counter roof top RPGs beging fired down, than javalins. This would be because that's what they encountered in chechnya decades ago. Some people who support them like pretending they were for drone warfare (like they had esp), but there's a kind of clear line between the Chechen war and the roof cages.

[–] Lupus@feddit.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

That makes sense, if you're preparing for fighting in urban or mountainous environments. The columns heading for kyiv and other cities all had this iirc. But for the columns entering from the east it doesn't make much sense, Ukraine's lowlands are extremely flat environments where the only threats from above are airstrikes, javelins and drones.

But it being derived from the experiences in chechnya makes sense, kinda like the west went for IED and mine proof, tall APCs and MRAP vehicles during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are equally obsolete in a battlefield like Ukraine.

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