The Russian T-72 tank with the flying turret is an endearing image of the Russian/Ukraine war. Under prepared, under trained, poorly lead and shambolic tactics lead to the early failures of the Special Military Operation. Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine received NATO training to modernise their doctrine and develop a strategy to defeat a Russian invasion.

I have been closely following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and I was amazed at some of the footage of Ukrainian drones dropping grenades down the open hatches of Russian tanks causing a cook-off of muntions leading to catastrophic [and spectacular] failure of the tank. We are looking at a failure of a multi million dollar machine caused by a gravity seeking grenade launched from a cheap drone buzzing around overhead.

Even looking at a shoulder launched Javelin missile for a relatively cheap price of $60k USD, the loss of a million dollar asset such as a tank is a highly cost effective weapon. I was told Ukrainian soldiers were watching YouTube videos on how to operate these missile launchers. I work with retired full time soldiers, they did their twenty years in the military to receive their army pension. Russia prided itself on their tank formations and use of artillery, their artillery has been effective and a major [and constant] threat to Ukrainian troops.

These former full time soldiers sneered at army reserve soldiers, called them chocko, that is slang for chocolate soldiers, they would melt under the heat of battle. Well, the invading full time Russian military came up against the part time soldiers of Ukraine and were decisively beaten. The much vaunted 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade and 45th Separate Guards Spetsnaz Brigade Parachute Regiment were not only repealed, they were defeated as their assault operation of the Hostomel Airport [10 km from Kyiv] collapsed.

They were captured and killed as the Ukraine reservists were mobilised to defend the landing zone and prevent the rapid insertion of forces to march on the capital. This then fed into the convoy to Kyiv where Ukrainian reservists defeated Russian tanks on their way to the capital picking them off with Javelin missiles showing superior tactical nous to the full time Russian forces. We saw some amazing footage of Russian tanks littered on the roadside with victorious Ukrainian troops slipping back into camouflage in the woods to attack again.