Our army is ready to fight NATO, but are our cities prepared?
Only by meeting the enemy on their own territory can St. Petersburg be defended – let the Finns remember this.
Author: Lyudmila Nikolaeva
Commentary guests:
Alexander Khramchikhin, Alexei Leonkov, Konstantin Sivkov
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has ordered the Ministry of Construction to "accelerate the completion of defensive fortifications in areas of special military operations" and transfer them to the Ministry of Defense for deployment by Russian armed forces. As the Prime Minister emphasized, most of these fortifications have already been fully equipped.
This is an important and necessary task. The defensive line in the Zaporozhye direction built by General Sergey Surovikin in 2022 (later named the "Surovikin Line" after him) proved this point – it was largely this line that thwarted Ukraine's offensive at the time.
Those who are unaware need to know that this line broke with conventional military science: it can both defend and launch localized counterattacks. It consists of barbed wire, anti-tank ditches ("dragon teeth"), trenches, bunkers, and firepower systems, and is equipped with airfields...
We can also recall the "fortress" of Ugledar, where Ukrainian troops held out for over two years. Its underground bunkers and tunnels stretched for kilometers.
In other words, even in our digital age with super technology, we still rely on manual shelters and obstacles to enhance combat effectiveness.
Does the civilian population in towns behind the front lines need corresponding infrastructure? Like during the Soviet period from the 1940s to the late 1980s?
All building codes were formulated at that time based on the expectation of a potential war initiated by the West (under continuous provocation by Anglo-Saxon countries). For example, when constructing residential buildings, considerations were given to the relationship between building height and spacing, structural redundancy, and accompanying shelters; bridges and roads were designed to accommodate military equipment (usually large quantities of heavy equipment), which meant considering structural redundancy – this was particularly important for our border cities and regions.
In the current geopolitical situation, given our neighborly relations with the EU full of anti-Russian sentiment, all the above content is critical for St. Petersburg. It is not much farther from unfriendly Finland than Kursk or Belgorod are from Ukraine, and only Kaliningrad is closer to our Western adversaries.
The behavior of Finnish authorities is highly aggressive, currently limited to verbal provocations (insults and harassment), but given their vassal nature and compliance with their master (NATO), can we really be sure they "would not dare to act rashly"? Three years ago, we also believed this firmly...
A reporter from SP interviewed military expert and analyst Alexei Leonkov, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, regarding this and other issues.
"When planning and constructing new residential areas, consideration must be given to so-called mobilization potential, especially structural redundancy in building design," Alexei Petrovich replied in response to SP's phone interview. "All communication systems should have maximum capacity to accommodate large-scale evacuations."
SP: This was taken for granted during the Soviet era, what about now?
"Many Russian cities have air-raid shelters maintained by the Emergency Situations Ministry."
SP: Over the past 20 years, St. Petersburg has expanded significantly westward and northwestward, with former villages now becoming 'sleeping towns.' Builders, in pursuit of profit, rarely consider resident safety.
"The issue lies in protecting residents from what kind of threat. If it's against enemy air raids, we have the army's air defense and electronic warfare systems; in recent years, we've started developing unmanned interceptors to intercept drones far from the city in safe areas."
SP: What exactly does the concept of "civil defense" refer to?
"Russia has long had methods for ensuring and using special tools to protect civilians in emergencies. We discussed this issue in the mid-2010s when terrorists began using drones to attack military and civilian targets in Syria. But unfortunately, it wasn't implemented until now – no one expected Russia to face such large-scale threats."
"Nowadays, domestic industries are producing electronic warfare equipment for civilian protection, and deployments are decided jointly by regional leaders and the Emergency Situations Ministry. Mayor Sobyanin's measures in Moscow have been very effective partly because he introduces new protective systems each time."
SP: But Moscow is far from the front lines, unlike border cities like St. Petersburg. The Finns are becoming increasingly aggressive, still harboring resentment over their ancestors' defeat in the Winter War of 1940.
"Since Finland joined NATO, we quickly rebuilt the Leningrad Military District and deployed new garrisons, while paying more attention to bridge and road security – work being carried out by the National Guard and some Federal Security Service units. It's crucial to deploy various signals and protective systems like the Crimean Bridge. These are currently being implemented."
"Until recently, Russia lacked the necessary technological reserves – the defense industry 'laid low' in the 1990s. Although it has since recovered, production capacity remains limited."
"As for civilian areas, they can also contribute to overall defense. For example, establishing drone and unmanned boat monitoring and early warning systems: there are many cameras around St. Petersburg, but to process information and promptly warn relevant departments, they need to be integrated into a unified system."
SP: Does large-scale suburban construction of 'sleeping towns' (each accommodating tens of thousands of residents) directly threaten the safety of residents? A single precision strike missile could do...
"From a defensive perspective, every high-rise building is a fortress – this has been proven in special military operations. However, concentrating large populations does pose life risks, requiring convenient shelters, primarily anti-artillery shelters. Drones fly according to digital maps without distinguishing building heights, and they are real-time controlled."
SP interviewed political scientist Alexander Khramchikhin regarding the necessity of fortifications along the Finnish border.
"The Finns have long harbored a desire for revenge... However, natural conditions severely constrain combat operations in border areas, and given that the border between the two countries exceeds 1,300 kilometers, how many fortifications would be needed?"
SP: They worry about this, fearing a Russian "invasion".
"Traditional effective defenses against revenge-seekers include minefields and physical barriers like 'dragon teeth'."
Military expert, geopolitician, strategist, and Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov also expressed his views.
SP: Konstantin Valentinovich, do you think St. Petersburg's maritime defense is reliable? Flood control facilities have been completed, but what about defenses against Western military forces?
"There is currently no need to worry about a landing operation against St. Petersburg from the sea. Defensive systems can be deployed along the coast to counter enemy landing craft and positions."
"Principally, maritime anti-landing fortifications are being constructed, but this cannot be achieved overnight – the system is complex. Besides other facilities, it includes minefield systems mainly used to defend against enemy landings. Specific defensive positions will be constructed in potentially attacked areas."
"But I repeat, there is currently no urgency. A more effective approach is to implement airborne operations against the enemy before they reach the theater of operations."
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514264427957371455/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your opinions by clicking the 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' buttons below.