Analysis of the Organization of Logistics Support of Advanced Positions in Modern Conditions of Combat Actions
Abstract
Purpose. To analyze the features of the organization of logistical, in particular food, support of forward positions of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in modern conditions of combat operations in the presence of constant reconnaissance and fire influence of the enemy.
Method. The study used methods of analysis and synthesis to study the structure of logistical support of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The descriptive method was used to record the real conditions of the combat situation and the practice of supporting units. The comparative method made it possible to compare traditional and alternative methods of delivering material and technical resources to the zone of direct combat operations. The systemic approach was used to consider logistics as a complex multi-level system. The method of generalizing combat experience and empirical observation methods were also used.
Findings. It was established that traditional methods of logistical support in the conditions of modern warfare are ineffective and dangerous. Critical vulnerability of ground transportation routes in the zone of active combat operations was identified. The impossibility of systematic use of regular cooking facilities at forward positions has been proven. The peculiarities of organizing personnel nutrition using dry rations have been determined. The practice of unmanned delivery of logistical equipment to forward positions has been analyzed. Optimal approaches to packaging and cargo nomenclature have been established. It has been shown that decentralized logistics solutions reduce the risks of losses of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The feasibility of minimizing human participation in dangerous logistical operations has been substantiated. Key factors of the effectiveness of unmanned support have been determined. Practical recommendations for the adaptation of logistics units have been formulated.
Theoretical implications. The study expands scientific ideas about logistics in conditions of high-tech war. The role of food supply in maintaining the combat stability of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been clarified. Factors affecting the survivability of logistics chains have been systematized. The transformation of logistics processes under the influence of modern means of destruction has been revealed. The results can be used in further scientific research. The conclusions obtained are interdisciplinary in nature.
Practical value of the study. The materials of the article can be used in the activities of the logistics units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The recommendations are suitable for planning the provision of forward positions. The conclusions can be applied in the training of personnel. The proposed approaches contribute to reducing losses during logistical operations. The results are useful for improving regulatory documents. The study is of an applied nature for the conditions of real combat operations.
Originality of the study. The article is based on a direct generalization of modern combat experience in the logistical provision of forward positions.
Future research. Further research should be directed at quantitatively assessing the effectiveness of unmanned logistics.
Paper type. Empirical.
Downloads
References
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. (2024, August 20). Resolution No. 950 “On amendments to the procedure for logistical support of the defense forces during the performance of tasks to defend the state, protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability, and on invalidating certain resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine”. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/950-2024-%D0%BF#Text [in Ukrainian].
Hnatyshyn, V., Kimnatnyi, M., Hardzhalo, M., Kucher, L., Iliasov, R., & Hordiak, V. (2023). Prodovolche zabezpechennia [Food supply]. National Academy of Land Forces.
Hres, O. M. (2024). Optymizatsiia lohistychnykh protsesiv zabezpechennia viiskovykh pidrozdiliv v umovakh aktyvnykh boiovykh dii: Ukrainskyi dosvid [Optimization of logistics processes for military units under active combat conditions: Ukrainian experience]. Scientific Bulletin of the International Humanitarian University. Series: Jurisprudence, (71), 4–7. https://vestnik-pravo.mgu.od.ua/archive/juspradenc71/3.pdf
Pavlenko, S. O., & Kovalchuk, Yu. I. (2024). Deiaki aspekty zastosuvannia mekhanizmu derzhavno-pryvatnoho partnerstva u sferi lohistychnoho zabezpechennia pidrozdiliv NHU [Some aspects of applying public–private partnership mechanisms in logistics support of the National Guard of Ukraine units]. In Proceedings of the Scientific Round Table “Current Problems of Technical Support of NGU Units and Ways to Solve Them” (pp. 13–15). National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Fivkin, P. M., Ivashchenko, S. M., Kurtov, A. I., Artiushenko, O. V., & Potikhenskyi, A. I. (n.d.). Pravove zabezpechennia diialnosti Zbroinykh Syl Ukrainy: Pravovi zasady lohistychnoho zabezpechennia ta viiskovoho dilovodstva [Legal support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Legal foundations of logistics support and military records management]. https://dspace.nlu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/20125
Steenbergen, R., Heeswijk, W., & Mes, M. (2023). The stochastic dynamic post-disaster inventory allocation problem with trucks and UAVs. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2312.00140
Li, Y., Liu, M., & Jiang, D. (2022). Application of unmanned aerial vehicles in logistics: A literature review. Sustainability, 14(21), 14473. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114473
Minculete, G. (2025). Military logistics drones: The innovative solution for transportation challenges on the battlefield. Land Forces Academy Review, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.2478/raft-2025-0033
Spencer, J., & Martin, M. (2024). Special release: An update on Ukraine. https://thevoicesofwar.com/68-special-release-dr-mike-martin-and-john-spencer-an-update-on-ukraine/
Criollo, L., Mena-Arciniega, C., & Xing, S. (2024). Classification, military applications, and opportunities of unmanned aerial vehicles. Aviation, 28(2), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.3846/aviation.2024.21672
Mandache, R. A., & Bojor, L. (2025). Considerations on the influence of small aerial drones on the actions of logistics forces. https://doi.org/10.2478/kbo-2025-0015
BBC News Ukraine. (2021, August 31). Vpershe v Ukraini poshtu dostavyly bezpilotnykom [For the first time in Ukraine, mail was delivered by a drone]. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-58015578
Kobzar, Yu. (2024). Prylitaie vnochi, i vid nei nemaie poriatunku: Khto taka “Baba Yaha” i chomu yii boiatsia okupanty [It arrives at night, and there is no escape: Who “Baba Yaga” is and why occupiers fear it]. UNIAN. https://www.unian.ua/weapons/baba-yaga-vazhkiy-dron-boombarduvalnik-zsu-yakiy-prihodit-do-rosiyan-vnochi-12618138.html
Abstract views: 76 PDF Downloads: 8
Copyright (c) 2025 Ruslan Bulhakov, Daria Puhachova, Iryna Zamkova
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors agree with the following conditions:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication (Download agreement) with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors have the right to complete individual additional agreements for the non-exclusive spreading of the journal’s published version of the work (for example, to post work in the electronic repository of the institution or to publish it as part of a monograph), with the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal.
3. Journal’s politics allows and encourages the placement on the Internet (for example, in the repositories of institutions, personal websites, SSRN, ResearchGate, MPRA, SSOAR, etc.) manuscript of the work by the authors, before and during the process of viewing it by this journal, because it can lead to a productive research discussion and positively affect the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
