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Basic Attrition Models Provide Insight Into Russian Woes In Russia-Ukraine War
Forbes ^ | September 20, 2022 | Vikram Mittal

Posted on 09/20/2022 8:04:23 PM PDT by Dr. Franklin

Meanwhile, a much simpler model may be able to answer some of the questions about the Russia-Ukraine war, such as why the Russians were so ineffective and what will likely happen as the war continues. This simple combat model is based on the Lanchester equations, which were developed in 1916. The Lanchester equations consist of a series of differential equations that approximate the rate of combat losses for two opposing armies. Although somewhat basic, these equations have been successfully used over the last century to model attrition warfare, similar to the conflict in Ukraine.

...

When the differential equations are solved, they indicate that the Russians had a strong advantage at the start of the war. Indeed, they destroyed a number of Ukrainian targets during the first few weeks. However, their effectiveness continually diminished as the war progressed at a rate much faster than the Ukrainian forces...

The models further indicate that at approximately six months, the war would change as the Russians would lose their numerical advantage. This coincides well with the shift in the war with the Ukrainians seizing back large amounts of territory. It would also explain the Kremlin’s strong push to recruit 50,000 new soldiers to replace their combat losses.

These models also provide insight into the likely outcome of the Russian plan to field new “volunteer” battalions. Since these troops will be even less trained than the Russians forces currently in Ukraine, they will likely continue the use of unaimed fires. As a result, the surge in soldiers will see a similar trend where they achieve initial successes but long-term failures. Indeed, the models would indicate that the Russians’ best course of action would be to fully withdraw from Ukraine, extensive training, and a reinvasion a later date.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: 150krussianwounded; 50000russiandead; chechens; chechnya; putinlovertrollsonfr; putinsbuttboys; putinworshippers; russia; ukraine; vladtheimploder; war; zottherussiantrolls
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To: MarMema

“Russia has only been able to use volunteers and paid mercenaries under the terms of SMO. In a few weeks that could change.”

RuZZia has used up its best troops and equipment.

It is all downhill from here.


21 posted on 09/20/2022 9:08:29 PM PDT by SpeedyInTexas (The Only Good RuZZian is a Dead RuZZian)
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To: MarMema

You have been indoctrinated by obscure bloggers with an agenda.

And in the future, do not address me again. I don’t interact with Putin’s little helpers.


22 posted on 09/20/2022 9:42:01 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Slava Ukraini!)
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To: SpeedyInTexas

True that, though Putin’s little helpers will never resign themselves to that undeniable fact.


23 posted on 09/20/2022 9:42:57 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Slava Ukraini!)
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To: SpeedyInTexas

Watch and see what Russia will and can do in a real war.

You must have missed Grozny.


24 posted on 09/20/2022 9:57:13 PM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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To: Its All Over Except ...
That was from the beginning of August, a month before the Kherson and Kharkiv counter offensives started. The last three weeks happened. Given those documents, these are three possible explanations:

  1. Russia would have already won by August, since 191,000 total KIA and WIA would have overwhelmed the Ukrainian army.
  2. The reason Russia has not won is they are less capable than the Ukrainian army.
  3. This is another mediocre propaganda piece Russia pumps out all the time.
Since #1 did not happen and the last three weeks did, that leaves #2 and #3. The Russian army is lousy and those docs are fakes.
25 posted on 09/20/2022 10:13:23 PM PDT by Widget Jr (🇺🇦 Sláva Ukrayíni 🇺🇦 - Just say no to CCCP 2.0)
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To: MarMema
Belarus is preparing troops [...]

Oh, no! The Ukrainians will be shaking in their boots! /sarcasm

Seriously: Belarus will not field even only a single brigade in Ukraine!

Lukashenko may be an evil and corrupt despot, but he's not Putin-level crazy.

Regards,

26 posted on 09/20/2022 11:47:17 PM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Dr. Franklin

Concerning the Lanchester Equations which are not full-proof by any measure despite their continued use. Example:

“...this research adds to the evidence that Lanchester equations may be too blunt of an instrument
for modeling the attrition of highly aggregated forces. Indeed, it is asking a lot to address most
of the complexities of combat attrition in a model with only a handful (four or five in this paper)
of parameters. The failure to find any good-fitting Lanchester model suggests that it may be
beneficial to look for new approaches to model highly aggregated attrition.”

‘Fitting Lanchester Equations to the Battles of Kursk and Ardennes’
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36736335.pdf


27 posted on 09/20/2022 11:48:48 PM PDT by cranked
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To: alexander_busek; cranked

Well it turned out there was no need for a war declaration.

Are they still operating under SMO?

Because Ukraine is getting blasted tonight and the gloves are off on not bombing civilian infrastructure.


28 posted on 09/20/2022 11:50:52 PM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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To: Dr. Franklin

‘The constant fallacy: A persistent logical flaw in applications of Lanchester’s equations’
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0377221794903034

“In this study, Joshua M. Epstein makes two separate contributions. He argues that Lanchester’s equations fail to capture the basic dynamics of warfare and that they offer a fundamentally implausible picture of combat.”
‘The Calculus of Conventional War - Dynamic Analysis without Lanchester Theory’
https://www.brookings.edu/book/the-calculus-of-conventional-war/

More can be provided.


29 posted on 09/20/2022 11:55:13 PM PDT by cranked
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To: MarMema

“I wish we could have seen the speech this evening….”
****************************************************
With simultaneous English translation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOWpSuFtIc&t=844s


30 posted on 09/21/2022 1:25:29 AM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX!)
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To: MarMema

“Watch and see what Russia will and can do in a real war.”

I’m watching. Show me.


31 posted on 09/21/2022 6:22:10 AM PDT by SpeedyInTexas (The Only Good RuZZian is a Dead RuZZian)
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To: House Atreides
With simultaneous English translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOWpSuFtIc&t=844s

This one is better:
Vladimir Putin announces partial military mobilisation to fight Ukraine war – BBC News

In short, Putin is drafting 300,000 former Russian troops. These will either be sent to Ukraine, or stationed elsewhere to free those troops to go to Ukraine. It's the first such general mobilization for Russia since WWII. It's not likely to be popular. Also, Putin is threatening nuclear war if Russia gets kicked our of Ukraine in disgrace.
32 posted on 09/21/2022 6:29:19 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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To: cranked
‘The constant fallacy: A persistent logical flaw in applications of Lanchester’s equations’

The problem with your argument, is that the Lanchester equations explain exactly what we are witnessing in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
33 posted on 09/21/2022 6:31:06 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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To: Dr. Franklin

Russia also conscripted a lot of soldiers in Donetsk and Luhansk, through their surrogates, that have also taken lots of casualties. Along with the Wagner mercs, they fielded a larger total force

The Ukrainian forces also had additional forces under arms, like their Territorial Defense Force.

This new Russian mobilization likely means that the war will be longer, bloodier and more costly.


34 posted on 09/21/2022 6:31:21 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: alexander_busek
Oh, no! The Ukrainians will be shaking in their boots! /sarcasm
Seriously: Belarus will not field even only a single brigade in Ukraine!
Lukashenko may be an evil and corrupt despot, but he's not Putin-level crazy.
Regards,


Lukashenko knows that if he sends troops to Ukraine, they might just stop at the border and point their guns north. Putin is propping him up in Belarus now, and he isn't at all popular. Anyone who believes that Lukashenko won the last election there, is smoking something funny.
35 posted on 09/21/2022 6:40:49 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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To: BeauBo
This new Russian mobilization likely means that the war will be longer, bloodier and more costly.

The longer this war continues, the more likely Putin's regime falls, and Russia itself could fracture. The irony of Russia claiming to be one people with Eastern Ukraine while sending ethnic non-Russians to rape and pillage can't be ignored.
36 posted on 09/21/2022 6:45:15 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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To: MarMema
You must have missed Grozny

you mean when Russia beat up on a helpless populace that couldn't defend itself? Russia sure likes doing that to its neighbors, doesn't it?

yes, the whole World saw that

and that's one of the reasons we all call Russia a menace, and don't trust Russia anymore

but now Russia has run up against an opponent that can defend itself, and suddenly the result isn't going Russia's way


37 posted on 09/21/2022 6:54:04 AM PDT by canuck_conservative
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To: MarMema

Check again. They get paid 2000 rubles a month. About $33.


38 posted on 09/21/2022 7:00:01 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Inside every leftist is a blood-thirsty fascist yearning to be free of current societal constraints.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Check again yourself.


39 posted on 09/21/2022 7:49:27 AM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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To: BeauBo

It means just the opposite. Watch and see. Things changed drastically last night.


40 posted on 09/21/2022 7:51:09 AM PDT by MarMema (No bugs for consumption)
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