Drones, not tanks, on Russia’s training ranges along NATO border
The Northern Fleet keenly shows off how its servicemen fly drones on training grounds near Norway and Finland. But there has hardly been a tank or an armoured vehicle on display in the far northern local brigades since the start of the full-scale war.
The 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade is located only few kilometres from the border to the two Nordic NATO countries and used to be in possession of several hundred armoured vehicles, including a significant number of tanks and howitzers.
Before the full-scale attack on Ukraine, the weaponry was frequently on display in the Northern Fleet’s promo videos and photos.
When the military servicemen in September 2021 celebrated the official Tankman’s Day, more than 40 T-80BVM tanks reportedly took part in joint drills with paratroopers and infantry units.
Since then, hardly a single tank or howitzer has been displayed on the websites and social media channels of the Northern Fleet.
The war of aggression and the huge losses on the battlefield seems to have utterly depleted the brigades’ resources.
According to a Norwegian intelligence report from early 2023, the two brigades in the Pechenga area had lost about 80 percent of their capacity in manpower and equipment in less than one year.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov underlines that the brigades will be rebuilt, and during a visit to the area in October this year, he reportedly promised new military infrastructure and weapon storage facilities.
But the 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade, the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, as well as the 80th Motorised Rifle Brigade in Alakurtti, are unlikely to get many new armoured vehicles, tanks or artillery weapons as long as the war rages on in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the north Russian brigades actively show off excellence in drone flying.
“We are showing them how to steer, overcome obstacles, fly through windows, door and various other narrow openings,” an instructor says in a video.
Drone instructor explains how soldiers in the Pechenga area are learning how to fly. Video: Russian Armed Forces
In another video, soldiers from the 80th Motorised Rifle Brigade show how they have a drone workshop located near the banks of the Dnepr river in occupied Ukraine.
A drone workshop operated by the 80th Motorised Rifle Brigade from Alakurtti, Kola Peninsula, on occupied Ukrainian land. Video: Russian Armed Forces.
According to a military representative, the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade now hardly holds a single exercise or training session that does not include drones.
The training of the soldiers is organised in a way that to the highest possible level resembles actual warfare, an instructor that operates under the callsign Vesely (“Cheerful”) says.
A big emphasis is put on handling stress and the state of the mind, he explains.
According to the Northern Fleet, the marines of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade also actively train on combat in tactical groups including storming of enemy strongholds.
“The instructors pass on their experience of storming trenches, fortified area and enemy strongholds to the soldiers,” the Northern Fleet informs.
The war in Ukraine is different than previous wars, the commander of a rifle company with the call sign “Hulk” explains.
“War doesn’t stand still, neither does technology. You have to constantly adapt to something new. If you take the Great Patriotic War, or when our fathers fought in the Caucasus and Afghanistan, the war has changed completely. We talked to guys at the front who were there then and who are fighting now. They say that everything is completely different,” the commander says.
Located in Kirkenes, Norway, just a few kilometres from the borders to Russia and Finland, the Barents Observer is dedicated to cross-border journalism in Scandinavia, Russia and the wider Arctic.
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