As in the Somme or Verdun during the First World War, Ukrainian soldiers navigate the trenches. Dug by them, using pickaxes and shovels, or by the Russian enemy under the same conditions, they are lines of defence, protection against enemy artillery fire. As France commemorates this Friday the Armistice signed in 1918, marking the defeat of Germany and the victory of the Allies, these images call out to the 21st century and recall the trenches of the Great War. These photos of hairy men buried in holes hundreds of kilometers long to take shelter from German fire that litter the history books.
Yet today’s soldiers live as they did in the last century…with a few “improvements” though. “There are electricity generators, wifi, etc. “, thus enumerates to 20 minutes French journalist Loup Bureau, who spent four months in the trenches of Donbass between 2017 and 2018, as war raged between Ukrainians and Moscow-backed pro-Russian separatists.
A fortification to defend oneself
For war specialists, these images are not surprising. The trenches are present in any conflict where “a balance is established” and which extends over time, explains Michel Goya, former colonel of the navy troops, historian and strategist, contacted by 20 minutes. “Digging is even one of the first things you learn in the field,” agrees the expert. Everyone starts to bury themselves when the war gets longer. »
Since 14-18, we have seen trenches during the Korean War or that between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s. This technique remains relevant because “the military has not created a better means than the trenches to mitigate the effects of enemy fire (artillery, tanks, air force) and preserve their infantry and their combat ability”, explains in turn Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies to the President of the Ukrainian army.
And precisely, in Ukraine, these trenches began to emerge as early as 2015, in the Donbass. Today, they are also found in the Kherson or Kharkiv area. “They were made little by little, over the years and become over time an enormous network of fortifications”, underlines Loup Bureau. The technique of digging for protection derives from the spectacular progress made in the power of fire towards the end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th century with the arrival of cannons, machine guns, etc. “We have multiplied by four or five the number of bullets that arrive in front,” recalls Michel Goya. So inevitably, “we realized that the solution was to hide,” he continues. “The rain of artillery shells on both sides does not allow exits from trenches to advance without incurring disproportionate losses”, adds Johanna Möhring, research fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (Cassis), contacted by 20 minutes.
The trenches thus constitute a defensive position for the armies “easier to hold than the offensive”, underlines Isabelle Dufour, director of strategic studies at Eurocrise, interviewed by 20 minutes. The trenches are set back a little from the front line so as not to be too exposed to the fires. “This is where we hide behind the line of combat,” she continues. Often, when the weather permits, there are several lines of trenches, with different functions. The furthest from the front is thus used to treat the wounded and the closest to defend “an entrenched position not held by fire is useless”, argues Isabelle Dufour. In summary, trenches are used for the “protection of soldiers, to hold ground, to be able to transport troops and supply from point A to B without (too great) losses, to preposition troops for an attack”, details Johanna Möhring.
A war of position
These defenses are synonymous with a war of position, during which each side holds its line without much movement or without much breakthrough. During which progress is made little by little, line by line. “In a war of position, as is the case in Ukraine, it is first necessary to neutralize the defenders to storm these positions”, specifies Michel Goya. Once a trench line is crossed, you have to take the next one. And when you lose that position, you have to quickly redig, rebuild the fortification to regain strength, to take the time behind this shield.
For the war in Ukraine to evolve, “you have to progress inside, until you provoke the collapse of the adversary, and that’s exactly what Ukrainian soldiers have been doing since September”, underlines the historian and strategist . “Ukrainian army troops fully understand that if they don’t dig deep, their chances of survival diminish. And without a successful defense, there will be no openings for the offensive,” explains Mykola Bieliekov.
“War is the skillful combination of defensive and attacking operations depending on conditions to wear down enemy forces faster than they can recover and create a preponderant force of your own. Trench warfare is part of this winning combination,” Mykola Bielieskov further develops. “At some point, you have to plant the flag,” illustrates Michel Goya. And to put an end to this war, which can go on forever if the positions do not move, it is necessary to make breakthroughs, take territories, on one side or the other, and thus get out of the trenches. “It becomes a war of movement”, underlines the historian. “You need a combination of fire and maneuver, pounding and preventing movement,” adds Isabelle Dufour. And at the moment, the Russian army is failing in this aspect. “They are unable to target the Ukrainian forces, not a single Caesar cannon has been hit, underlines Isabelle Dufour again, It is a failure of the Russians”.
“A psychological space prison”
Progress at the cost of very difficult living conditions. Life underground is “very rudimentary”, recalls Loup Bureau. His documentary Trenches, which shows the life of Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbass, testifies well to the primary daily life of the fighters. But this life remains less difficult than in exposed terrain. Moreover, during the Great War, “it was during trench warfare that the conflict was the least deadly”, recalls Michel Goya.
Still, morally, “it’s extremely hard, very tiring, there is a very great promiscuity, it’s very dusty, it’s a bit of a psychological spatial prison”, warns Loup Bureau. The incessant bombardments, life underground, in the dark, “where you hear more than you see what is happening”, testifies the French journalist, can leave a lasting mark. “Some suffer from deep trauma after living in the trenches for months,” he said. “It’s morally exhausting to be pounded continuously, that’s why we raise the defensive units”, abounds Isabelle Dufour. The season also changes things. With the cold, the rain, comes the mud and life becomes much more difficult to bear. “Winter in the Donbass is hell. It’s a steppe climate with freezing nights, temperatures down to -30°C,” soldier Yuri Syrotyuk told AFP recently.
“But over time, the facilities become small villages, sometimes relatively comfortable”, nuances Michel Goya. If they are well equipped, it is thanks to the “resourcefulness of the soldiers, it is on their own initiative”, specifies Loup Bureau. Because generally, you have to go quickly, these kinds of hiding places are dug during the day. The images of Loup Bureau indeed show innovative installations, soldiers cooking, and more basic hiding places. And even if the soldiers are not permanently in these trenches, they can stay there for months. Without shower, without basic comfort.