Why can't Ukraine just block or blow up all the roads coming in from Russia and Belarus

[Quixote1818]

and keep all the roads open on the Western side of the country for supplies? Or do they want these convoys coming in as easy drone targets? Why allow them to just come right in so easily? Also, it seems like they could let them part way in and then have huge roadblocks so the convoys get stopped and end up being sitting ducks. Any military folks who can weigh in on this?

[NickB79]

1. Western Ukraine is very flat and open

It's similar to the US Plains, hence why it's called the Breadbasket of Europe.

Military vehicles like tanks and APC's will just drive off-road. The soil is still mostly frozen as well, giving heavy equipment more footing.

[Quixote1818]

8. Was just looking at Google maps and around Kiev it's super wooded compared to south of there.

Also, quite a few small and large rivers. I can see how they could drive off road in most places around the country looking at Google maps, but around Kiev looks a bit more difficult. Maybe they could have just shut down the roads around Kyiv? Driving through those woods looks a bit challenging.

[Tommy Carcetti]

15. Eastern Ukraine is the more flat portion of the country.

Western Ukraine is hilly to mountainous.

Bigger issue is that it's mostly land border between Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, so not much in terms of bridges.

[PortTack]

2. One brave Ukraine solider did just that. With no time to escape blew up a bridge to stop the advance

Towards Kyiv.

There’s been no end to their bravery

[Wingus Dingus]

3. Maybe that's labor-intensive and they don't have the troops and

the transports to block roads? Probably can't spare the men.

[aeromanKC]

4. That's what I was thinking when I saw that 3 mile long Russian convoy.

KABOOM on the road. You see it all the time in Narco type movies.

[Straw Man]

10. The Finns did it in 1939-41.

They had the advantage of deep forests and narrow roads. They would knock out the first and last vehicle in a Russian convoy, trapping the whole bunch. Then they would come out of the woods and decimate them.

Here's the aftermath of one such encounter. WARNING: graphic images!

But as mentioned, it wouldn't work in open country.

[csziggy]

12. There are similar images being shared from inside Ukraine now

CNN showed one group of Russian vehicles destroyed - they carefully did not show bodies, but did allude to them. The trucks were blown apart. The reporter said there were "pineapple" grenades spread all around it.

On Reddit, the posters are not as squeamish - the videos and images are gruesome, very much like the one you linked to. I bet for the Ukrainians those images are morale boosters.

[texasfiddler]

5. How do we know that hasn't already happened?

The long convoys coming down from Belarus have been an issue for almost four days now. This doesn't appear to be planned like operation barbarossa 2.0

[Wicked Blue]

6. Would lack of roads stop tanks?

Does anyone know?

[BigmanPigman]

7. I saw tbe video of a tank crushing a car

and I was amazed at how quickly they move and how easily they can ride over a vehicle. Those things seem impossible to stop.

[csziggy]

13. A poster on Reddit gave tips for stopping tanks

He posted that he was an American tank mechanic and suggested using barbed and concertina wire which would tangle up in the treads to stop them. He also recommended strategically using the Molotov cocktails the Ukrainians have to target anything that looks like an intake. Lots of very good advice in that thread from what I can tell: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t1cv4l/important_anti_tank_measures/

[BigmanPigman]

14. I hope the Ukranians have that info.

[csziggy]

22. It's been all over Reddit for the last week or so.

In at lot of subreddits, including Ukraine, Ukraine Conflict, and more. So if any Ukrainian is on Reddit, they have probably seen it.

[DemocraticPatriot]

11. They will have difficulty off-road when things melt and the mud comes...

What I have recently read is that it will slow them down very much, so they will try to stick to the roads, where possible.

[sarisataka]

17. It would not

And damaged roads are very easily repaired. You wouldn't want to drive your new tesla on it but military vehicles are designed for poor roads and most can handle no roads.

[machoneman]

18. No, tanks, just like bulldozers one sees in the fields, can literally go anywhere. Any tracked...

military vehicles can plow through almost any obstacles save big trees. Most tanks can also ford rivers/streams up to 10' deep or so with special anti-flooding devices. Heck, most of a tank, buttoned up for water fording, goes almost completely underwater. In flat terrain, virtually nothing can stop them and even then, they can go around rocky ground, high hills, etc. and plow their own lanes.

[jrandom421]

19. Excet for one thing: it's mud season!

Anything going off road is going to get bogged down in mud. Same happened to the Wehrmacht in WW II

https://www.military.com/video/combat-vehicles/combat-tanks/russians-t-90-tank-stuck-mud/3297266267001

[roamer65]

9. Most rail links have been severed to Russia.

Remember seeing the report.

Not sure on Belarus.

[haele]

16. Belarus State railroad apparently ran on Windows XP.

It was taken care of last night, probably by a bored Tic-Toc kid in his or her basement fortress of solitude.

Trains can still move, but very slowly with manual switching.

Haele

[Wounded Bear]

20. They can, but any such block is very temporary...

all modern armies have strong engineering support to keep roads open and repair/replace bridges.

Usually in just a couple of hours.

Oh, and most military vehicles are pretty good at cross country travel.

[greenjar_01]

21. They would need

1) Fortified lines
2) Massed artillery
3) Air power

Without control of the air, all those things are pretty much impossible.

Road blocks? These are military convoys supported by armor. Look at the satellite views: you can see tanks guarding the flanks behind tree lines as the convoys go by. Those combat units have cleared the road ahead and taken up defensive positions preventing attacks from the sides. They do this every few miles: clear the front, and take up defensive positions as the convoy passes. These are not new tactics.