Will Russian air assault brigades land behind Ukrainian lines?

Defense Express writes that the Ukrainian media actively picked up the news that Russia is forming airborne assault brigades, which was published by the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The specifics of the report are that, according to Russian unofficial sources, the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation has created the 49th Separate Air Assault Brigade, which operates on the Zaporizhzhia sector of the front. It is also noted that this air assault brigade was allegedly created not as part of the Russian airborne troops, which are a separate branch of the army, but as part of the ground forces.

In other words, these air assault brigades operate as part of the army and report directly to its leadership, not as part of a separate branch of the forces.

But will such units really be conducting landings?

"The answer to this question is quite simple - very unlikely," Defense Express writes. "Because in order to carry out a helicopter assault into the rear, you need to be sure that the helicopters will reach there. Moreover, it is one thing when it is the beginning of a war and there is a factor of a surprise attack and the absence of a front with a multi-echelon defense with strong air defense, or at least in a maneuvering rapid war. Quite another is the current realities of the battlefield, where helicopters try not to approach the front line closer than the range of MANPADS."

According to the media, the real reason for the creation of air assault brigades is that their weapons and military equipment are adapted to the landing capabilities of helicopters and they are lightly armed brigades. And in conditions when they will not carry out airborne assaults, only the second part remains — assaults.

"Why Russia is taking such steps is also easily explained by the fact that there is a lack of regular weapons, and calling the new brigades "infantry" is much worse than calling them "air assault." Therefore, it is currently possible to assume that these new brigades in Russia are not intended for airborne assaults and rear-guard operations. However, the Kremlin may give the order to use them directly by name," Defense Express concludes.