Saberwander

I think a LOT of the problem is that the Russians have have never done realistic exercises. They can't spend hours getting the entire BTG, much less multiple BTGs, set out in their big propaganda formations. Since the Ukrainian drones/artillery are on the ball, witness the Russian unit getting the bleep shelled out of it a few posts ago, would wreck them. So they dribble in in whatever sized formation they can maintain for the length of the approach marches they are actually having to execute. Then they get shredded in detail by ATGMs and the afore mentioned excellent artillery. Then the next BTG has to drive by the burnt/burning wrecks, and ponder the the fact they have made poor life choices before it happens to them, too. Throw in mud season, and you have the most epic failure of a military operation since I don't know when.

Ideal would be having multiple drones that can rotate between being on "duty" and charging but I see a simple stopgap solution that would allow tanks to have much better situational awareness. 

Why doesn't no one develop a tethered drone that uses same kind of propulsion (quadcopter or similar) but has a small cable for charging. I know it's not ideal but it would remove the need to have secure comms to the drone and the drone would be able to stay up indefinitely (as long as tank has electrical power). 

It would mean that the drone can't really go very far from the tank, but imagine situational awareness a tank commander could get with a birds eye view from 100m. 

😳
 

Justified for whom?
In the beginning of 2014 only 18% of Ukrainians wanted to join NATO and about 3/4 (undeservedly) considered russians ok guys.
Everybody was more than happy to stay neutral and there were no issues apart from russian soldiers looting something and killing ukrainians in Crimea once a year just for fun - but our government always tried to sweep that under the rug and pretend it never happened.
The war began in 2014, the justification was that Ukrainians are subhuman and don't deserve to have a country. And it flew perfectly well with the russian population.
Pretending that NATO is somehow a reason for the war that started 8 years ago when Ukraine was extremely anti-NATO is your typical russian BS designed to give "russian-friendly" politicians in the West a reason to keep letting Russia do its crimes.

However, to pull this off they had to move fast and moving fast probably meant leaving a lot of stuff behind that could have been withdrawn if there was more time.  That added to the losses suffered while in Ukraine does seem to indicate that the units there aren't in good enough shape to immediately feed back into the frontline.
Steve
 
I can't find the link now, but an entire company of well equipped Russian infantry was feeling hard pressed enough to literally dump all their gear, ballistic vest, rifles, radios, packs....everything, and swim across one of the small rivers west of Kyiv. Given the probable water temperatures in that part of world at this time of year that is leaving in a VERY large hurry.

Ahh I see. As in Leo Tolstois world classic "Special Operation and Peace" which he published 1863.