Last Tuesday, a Ukrainian mechanised formation, initially thought be around 1000 in strength but now estimated to be between 6000 to 8000, launched an invasion of Russia’s Kursk region. This is the first time that Ukraine has pushed into Russia proper. Early on, there were scenes of some Russian soldiers surrendering, having been surprised and overwhelmed. Russia declared a state of emergency, sent reinforcements to the area, and also deployed air power to take out the Ukrainian vehicles. Now, several days later, Ukraine has still not been pushed out. Some Ukrainian troops are said to be as deep as 20 kilometres inside Kursk. Russia has now also had to evacuate more than 76000 civilians from areas where there is ongoing fighting (ref. 1). Today, for the first time, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the attack.
Some analysts say, Ukraine might be trying to improve its bargaining power as much as possible as quickly as possible, should a new Trump administration after November 2024 compel it to negotiate an end to the war. Of course, it remains to be seen whether Ukraine can hold on to any of its gains. Normally, without air cover, vehicles cannot survive long out in the open.
Other analysts say, this is an attempt by Ukraine to get Russia to focus on border defence, which would take resources and manpower away from the fight in the contested territories.
What is interesting about this incursion is that it illustrates to Russia the military power of cavalry and manoeuvre. This is something that I addressed a while ago.
If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? …
Jeremiah 12:5
The Bible prophesies that at the time of the end, the kings of the east are to wage war a specific way. First of all, the east is to essentially be an army of horsemen.
The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joel 2:4-5
In modern warfare terms, I suppose, this means tanks and mechanised infantry, or at least motorised infantry.
Besides horses, as in moving around on land quickly, the Bible also prophesies of locusts that will attack and then suddenly fly away.
… the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
Nahum 3:16-17
In modern warfare terms, I suppose, this means helicopters, and some sort of airborne infantry that can land, fight, and then fly away.
What Ukraine has just done proves that it is always easier to punch through a particular point in a line than to defend that entire line. This is the military idea of “defeating in detail”. ie. Attacking with strength in numbers.
Something else that I previously brought up is that the Mongol way of warfare, as in Genghis Khan, is noteworthy for these last days. The Mongols would always attack, rather than rely on fortifications and try to defend. By attacking, the fight will be away from one’s own territory, and what is more, by attacking first the attacker has seized the initiative and can control the tempo. Second, when the battlefield is not one’s own territory, the attacker can even disregard the control of territory altogether and focus entirely on the destruction of the opposing army, unless there are supply lines to protect or something like that. It stands to reason, when the enemy loses its army, the war is over: when there is no one left among the enemy that will fight back, all of the enemy’s territory is up for grabs.
Now, by combining the tactic of defeating in detail with the Mongol way of war, there is this idea of hitting an area to destroy what is there, and then moving on to another area to destroy what is in that other area, and then moving again, and so on and so forth. The objective is not necessarily the acquisition and control of territory but rather the destruction of the fighting capacity of the other side.
To this point, the Bible prophesies that towards the end, the east will not relent even when it becomes clear that the other side has been routed, but rather the east will give chase and seek out what remains of the opposing army as it retreats until there is virtually no one left. Again, this is because the objective will not be territory but rather the opposing army.
… I [ie. God speaking, as the LORD of hosts] will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Joel 2:20
Now, remarkably, Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu happens to be waging war against Hamas sort of like this. From what I can gather, the IDF has been going into an area in Gaza, killing elements of Hamas that are there, and then moving on, all with the goal of destroying Hamas as a military force and a governing body. So, even here there is a glimpse of this approach to warfare, which is not something that I thought up, but is from the Bible.
Of course, in regard to Gaza, the Bible prophesies in Zephaniah that all of Gaza is condemned, and so the angels and the saints of God will do things differently.
Anyway, returning to the matter of human armies, the Bible prophesies that at the time of the end, the armies of the kings of the east are to fight like horsemen and like locusts.
This means, before then, ideas such as strength in numbers and the power of manoeuvre must occur to the kings of the east.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Revelation 9:16-17
Even the fifth trumpet and vial will bring to mind horses and locusts.
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Revelation 9:7-9
There is also the fact that General Allenby of the British Empire won the Battles of Beersheba and Megiddo in WW1 essentially through manoeuvre, back then using actual horses.
References:
1. ABC (11 August 2024), “Russia evacuates more than 76,000 in Kursk region as Ukraine incursion into territory continues”, abc.net.au