In a video released by the Russian news agency “Riafan”, he is documented building a defensive wall in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. Drone footage shows trenches dug inside and concrete anti-tank obstacles in an open field.
“This is how the line of defense in the Luhansk People’s Republic is being built,” the agency writes on Telegram. “Hump lines, ditches, trenches. All according to military science. The technical units of the Wagner group are deployed.” Former Russian intelligence officer and separatist leader Igor Girkin also shared the video on Twitter and dubbed the construction as “Putin’s Maginot Line”.
In an interview with “ntv.de”, historian Christian Hartmann is skeptical about the effectiveness of such buildings. “Such ancient buildings have more of a propagandistic and psychological meaning for the defenders,” says the head of the deployment research department at the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences. Especially in times of drones, such a system looks outdated.
In World War I, ramparts like France’s Maginot Line were ineffective. The construction dragged on for years and devoured enormous sums of money. “Nevertheless, it only took a few weeks for France to be occupied by the Wehrmacht,” says Hartmann. The Atlantic Wall, the Stalin Line and the West Wall were ultimately conquered by the attacker.
According to an analysis by “ntv.de”, “Putin’s Maginot Line” is located on the western outskirts of the small town of Hirske, around 25 kilometers south of Lysychansk. Images from the European observation satellites Sentinel show that construction must have taken place between September 25 and October 5.
The position of the position raises questions. Russia is on the offensive in the region and the front line is already 30 kilometers southwest of the facility. It is speculated that the wall should serve as a holding point. Nothing is currently known of Ukrainian advances in the area.
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