Russian bombardment tactics: Indiscriminate use of FAB bombs
The Russians are not altering their tactics of striking targets without concern for civilian casualties, even if these targets are on their own territory. A guided FAB bomb of immense destructive power fell on a boarding school in Sudża in the Kursk region. We explain what this weapon is.
As the Ukrainians acknowledge, the Russians are bombarding their own country's territory as if it were any other part of the front, as demonstrated by the attack using a glide bomb FAB with UMPK modules on a boarding school in Sudża, under the rubble of which at least 95 people were trapped. These are mostly elderly individuals and children, as reported by the portal Militarnyj.
Sudża is the largest town occupied by the Ukrainians during the attack on the Kursk region. Before the war, its population was about 5,000 people, and now this number has reportedly decreased to around 200 residents.
Russian war tactics — FAB bombs are a key element
Russian war tactics since World War II have relied on masses of equipment and firepower to neutralise resistance points. Currently, so-called exploitation infantry groups are sent for assaults, whose sole task is continuous reconnaissance by combat, i.e., provoking enemy fire. This is where the term "meat assaults" comes from, as very few survive them.
Then, the Russians direct artillery or aerial bombardment with much more powerful FAB aviation bombs equipped with UMPK (Unified Planning and Correction Module Kit) on such identified points of Ukrainian resistance. These bombs have enough power to destroy virtually any field fortifications.
After such bombardment, the Russians send another wave of exploitation infantry and repeat the attacks until successful. This is a rudimentary tactic unacceptable to any modern armed forces, yet it cannot be denied effectiveness in some regions. In particular, this refers to the Donetsk region, where the Ukrainians have command and personnel shortages.
Due to the lack of a sufficient number of medium-range air defence systems capable of shooting down aircraft carrying FABs at distances over 100 kilometres, such as the Patriot or SAMP/T, the Ukrainians must conduct manoeuvre defence, continuously retreating to reduce losses.
FAB aviation bombs — simple weapons being copies of Western ideas
Russian FAB bombs with UMPK modules are copies of American JDAM-ER bombs. The key component is a lightweight aluminium module containing a section with satellite and inertial navigation, control surfaces, and folding wings. It is then mounted to ordinary FAB series aviation bombs from the Soviet era weighing 500 kg, 1,500 kg, and even 3,000 kg.
Such a bomb dropped from an altitude of over 10 kilometres can travel more than 40 kilometres and strike with precision within a few or even several dozen metres in the event of GPS signal jamming. However, such a deviation, especially with bombs like FAB-1500 or FAB-3000 containing approximately 700 kg and 1,500 kg of TNT, respectively, is inconsequential. In their case, the shockwave reduces all structures to rubble over an area of several hundred metres.
