Winter is coming - with tough new challenges for armies in the field

Few militaries can operate at anything approaching peak performance in the grip of winter. Everything becomes harder: cleaning weapons, fixing vehicles, and cooking food.

Sleep is especially important. Comfort is often compromised by having rifles inside the sleeping bag: readily to hand and with no chance of fingers sticking to bare frozen metal.

Disciplined, trained and wellequipped armies survive to fight in such conditions.

Others, including the Russian army camped out in Ukraine for eight months now, will fight to survive.

High morale is needed to withstand the temperature drop. The provision of healthy, hot and nutritious meals assumes an even greater importance. And clothing must up to be the job, with well-fitting garments to trap layers of warm air.

Equipment also suffers as the ground hardens and air freezes.

Oils and other essential lubricants thicken or freeze if not treated correctly. Batteries die sooner. Rubber seals can crack and split.

The temptation to run engines to provide warmth is great, but makes noise and runs down precious fuel supplies. Sound travels further over frozen ground; the position can soon become obvious to the enemy.

Any increased heat signature will be warmly gobbled up by thermal cameras watching from afar and attached to weapon systems.

Snow and mud make tank tracks more easily visible from above.

Great care has to be taken when launching an assault or setting up a defensive position to cover, or at least obfuscate, the route in. Failure to do so invites unwanted exploding visitors.

Ukrainians hope that the international community will help provide them with the necessary kit to get through the cold months ahead.

Non-lethal aid such as generators and medical equipment is to be supplied by a Germany-based international donor cell, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, has said.

Mr Wallace also said the UK would send 25,000 sets of winter clothing, but offered no details.

Other Nato allies are also joining in. Canada has pledged winter gear worth $15million, including 500,000 jackets, trousers, boots and gloves.

Estonia has provided winter clothing for about 4,000 troops. and Hanno Pevkur, Tallinn’s defence minister, said if each Nato country provided even half as much, Ukrainian forces would be able to see out the freezing winter months.

It is all a far cry from the position in Russia. State media has shown footage of Vladimir Putin (although some claimed it was a body double) inspecting new equipment for the troops and top-grade winter clothing.

But that does not seem to match the reality on the ground. Russian soldiers have grumbled on social media about personal protective gear consisting of paint-balling masks, children’s gloves and plastic “bullet-proof ” vests.

The combined challenges of winter are likely to be extremely tough for the inadequately equipped and trained Russian forces.

They will most likely hunker down and hope for warmer weather rather than attempt offensive operations.

Putin will welcome the anticipated pause in military operations.

But it is questionable whether poorly supported Russian owners of frozen trigger fingers, with attendant low morale and inadequate clothing, will similarly rejoice as the mercury drops.

‘Mobilised Russians complain about being issued paintball masks and plastic bullet-proof vests’