Question of the Day: will the militiamen be able to defend Kiev?

"Novye Izvestia" interviewed experts - what can come of this venture? And will the untrained fighters save the city?

Viktor Lvov

The general opinion of military experts is unambiguous:

The people's militiamen WILL NOT RESCUE Kiev! Moreover, as a result of rash actions, the capital of Ukraine may share the fate of Grozny during the Chechen wars and turn into ruins, and the number of civilian casualties is even difficult to predict!

Now let's analyze the situation point by point.

Most civilians do not know how to handle weapons and do not know the skills of shooting and combat tactics in urban environments.

Even having mastered the rules for cleaning and disassembling machine guns, you are unlikely to understand how to shoot just to hit the target and not kill yourself or your comrades in the neighborhood. It is clear that no scenes from militants like "shooting from the belly" can be a guide to action. You need training with instructors and at special shooting ranges. What Kiev militias do not provide.

But if we assume that all volunteers already have weapons (passed the army or police service), then the end result will be even worse and scarier.

After all, it is clear that the soldiers of the advancing army (we repeat - the ARMY, and not the competing gang!) Have a full range of heavy and modern weapons. They will respond to any pistol shot from a residential building with machine guns, tanks, flamethrowers and artillery. In particularly severe cases, attack helicopters will be used. However, it is enough to respond with a shot from an RGD-type grenade launcher - and a cumulative projectile, having flown through the window, will blow up the entire internal space, also providing a fire to the building. Change position or run away will be an impossible task for the militia. It doesn't even have to hit him.

A separate issue is the supply of militias with ammunition, food, water and, most importantly, medical care. After they shoot a very limited ammunition - what's next? Search for a sheet and surrender to the mercy of the winner?

Again, it is not clear who will lead the units of the militia, sitting, as it were, in their homes and apartments. We need officers, we need radio stations...

And how many days will a civilian spend without water, food, without light and heating in winter? After all, there will be no benefits of civilization in the besieged city.

Finally, it is not at all clear what to do with the wounded? There are professional doctors in the army. A small group or individuals do not have any medical care and the necessary medicines. Are they ready to endure the agony of the dying? And if so, how long?

Thus, from a military point of view, the resistance of the militias in the city is useless. The only question is the timing of the "cleansing" and the number of victims and destruction.

Why then distribute weapons to civilians if the country's regular army could not protect the city?

There is no other goal than a tragic "picture" and a PR campaign. To organize a wave of indignation around the world, it will work 100 percent. For the townspeople themselves, their present and future, the transformation of Kiev into the ruins of Grozny or Stalingrad will turn into a tragedy.

Of course, the very fact of such a depressing prospect can stop the attacking side and force the enemy to peace negotiations. It is to be hoped that this is exactly what will happen.

You can also remember history. For example, the fate of Paris during the Second World War...

P.S.

After the publication of the material on the afternoon of February 25, the good news came:

The Russian military will not hit the residential areas of Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

God bless...