“’stalled’ 40-mile-long military convoy in Ukraine “
Are they really stalled, or are they building up and positioning? I guess it depends on who you ask.
Read where the road/bridges ahead of them are blown. Also they’re out of fuel.
I asked some people who have studied Russian military doctrine.
Their answer is that the Russians are following their standard battle doctrine. They are standing off beyond potential artillery range from the defenders in the city and have positioned forward artillery of the own to pound the defenders while they prepare supplies and troops for the final assault.
The Russians have uncontested air space above their convoys. That is the only way this kind of maneuver can work. Otherwise, they would all be piles of smoldering wreckage by now.
The Turkish battle drones have been devastatingly effective, but there simply aren't enough of them to make a difference. Also, while the drones are very hard to spot or take down, the operator control stations are easily located by their radio emissions. They will get wacked by Russian artillery or air strikes if the operators stay in one place very long.
Drones can be killed by battle lasers quite easily. No such systems appear to be deployed by the Russian forces.
We had best be cautious about believing our own propaganda. Rotten tires and mechanical failures are part of casualty planning for this sort of campaign. They are not decisive.
Let's see if the Russians start the full-scale artillery attack next. Their second assault on the Chechnya city of Grozny is the model they may follow.