Russian forces deploy a huge tank trap in Ukraine. Foreign policy expert Thomas Jäger explains why the second line of defense is a sign of Russian weakness.
Outside the borders of the town of Hirske in eastern Ukraine, Russian soldiers have drawn a defensive line. However, the anti-tank installation is far removed from the current front line: the town of Hirske is about 25 kilometers from Lysychansk, which is under Russian control.
Photos by the satellite operator Maxar show how small white concrete pyramids are supposed to block the way for Ukrainian tanks. According to CNN, the fortress consists of four rows of pyramids, behind which is a moat. The Russian media company Zvedza TV called the line of concrete pyramids the “Wagner line”, in reference to the Wagner mercenary group, which is said to be involved.
It is a “second line of defense” if Ukrainian soldiers attempt to invade the area. For Prof. Thomas Jäger, Chair of International and Foreign Policy at the University of Cologne, the establishment of the second line of defense shows Russia’s weakness.
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Satellite images from the European Space Agency show that the first trench for the “Wagner Line” was dug as early as September 25 – the second section between September 30 and October 5.
Foreign policy expert Thomas Jäger explains in an interview with FOCUS online that the establishment of the second line of defense shows that Russia would be prepared to defend the areas it has conquered so far. Second, it would show that the Russians believe that the first line of defense is not enough.
Jäger says: “As far as the Luhansk and Donetsk regions are concerned, the ‘Wagner’ line is a visible sign that the Russian leadership currently assumes that they can no longer hold the Donbass within the borders of the administrative districts and the annexed areas “.
After Putin gave orders in the past to hold the city of Kherson at all costs, this principle would no longer apply. Rather, the Russian armed forces would try to save the battle-hardened troops, Jäger said.
But why was the anti-tank system built so far away from the front line? The foreign policy expert explains: “One can assume that the Russian armed forces and the Wagner group involved have sufficient knowledge that they cannot hold the area beforehand”.
For Jäger, all of Russia’s behavior at the moment reflects their inability to win the war militarily. In the case of Cherson and Zaporizhia, the Kremlin declared that it was still necessary to determine where the borders ran. According to the foreign policy expert, the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk could also be called into question again.
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According to Jäger, the establishment of the second line of defense also has negative consequences for Putin: “This line is again messing up the whole Kremlin narrative and I think we are currently underestimating that by mainly looking at military developments”. According to him, the propagandistic development in particular is of great importance.
According to Jäger, there is currently a development in which the Russian leadership can no longer tell a coherent story to Russian society, which then raises doubts among the population.
After all, everyone now knows that the story of a casualty-free special operation cannot be true: “And even if it is not openly communicated due to the fear of reprisals, it is something that characterizes the discussions behind closed doors and diminishes support for the regime,” says the foreign policy expert.
According to Jäger, small cracks in Russian society are already visible: If the elite no longer fully supports Putin, the population would eventually have the choice of which story to believe. The foreign policy expert goes on to explain: “The importance of the so-called ‘home front’, i.e. maintaining Putin’s support from Russian society, cannot be overestimated”.
