Ukraine's Ancient Roman Tactic: Caltrops Devastate Russian Forces

Ancient Tactic, Modern Warfare: Caltrops

• 💡 Caltrops, an ancient Roman area-denial weapon, are being effectively used by Ukraine to disrupt Russian advances.
• 🎯 These small iron devices with multiple sharp points are designed to always have one spike facing upward, historically used to cripple horses and slow advancing troops.
• 🧠 The Lieber Institute notes caltrops remain effective in modern warfare due to their low cost, ease of deployment, and ability to slow enemy forces, often causing injuries that can lead to death.

Strategic Deployment Near Lyman

• 📍 Ukraine's 63rd Mechanized Brigade employed caltrops near Lyman, creating a kill zone that reportedly resulted in a 66-to-one kill ratio against Russian soldiers.
• 🚀 This tactic is particularly effective against Russia's increasing reliance on motorbike units, which are used to evade drones.
• 💥 Caltrops puncture motorcycle tires, causing riders to be thrown from their vehicles and rendering them vulnerable to further attacks.

Overcoming Russian Tactics

• ⚠️ Russian forces attempting to advance into Lyman are funneled into pre-set kill zones by Ukraine's use of terrain and these improvised defenses.
• 🔍 Russian soldiers attempting to hide their heat signatures with thermal cloaks are still easily detected and eliminated by Ukrainian drones, rendering their concealment efforts ineffective.
• 📉 The failure to overcome these tactics contributes to the broader struggles of Russia's summer offensive, with depleted forces facing difficult choices between death and surrender.

Historical Context and Evolution

• ⏳ Ukraine has been using caltrops since the early days of the invasion, with companies like Art of Steel pivoting to manufacture them.
• 🚚 Initially used to disable trucks carrying supplies by puncturing tires, caltrops have evolved into a key countermeasure against Russian motorbikes.
• 🎭 Beyond caltrops, Ukraine also employs ancient