"River Navigation Skills are Imperative for Irregular Combat and Beyond, Extending Past Just Water Crossings"
Riverine Operations in the Ukraine Conflict: A Crucial Aspect of Modern Irregular Warfare
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has seen a significant focus on riverine operations, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces utilizing waterways for maneuvering troops and moving supplies. The Dnipro River, the third-largest river in Europe, has become a focal point for this battle, providing critical tactical advantages in mobility, surprise, and territorial contestation.
Russian riverine maneuvers have been aimed at seizing islands in the Dnipro River to apply psychological and territorial pressure on Kherson and threaten river commerce routes. This approach seeks to create a contested river presence rather than full bank control, complicating ceasefire lines and leveraging influence on southern Ukraine.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has significantly enhanced its riverine capabilities by mobilizing a river flotilla of about 19 vessels, including fast assault boats like the Swedish CB90s. These boats have transformed Ukrainian river and coastal operations by enabling high-speed amphibious insertions, surprise raids, and patrols along the Dnipro and other waterways.
The riverine domain remains a contested and dynamic front, with ongoing Russian probing and Ukrainian defense efforts shaping tactical opportunities and strategic influence over key southern territories relevant to the overall war effort. The riverine operations form part of a broader irregular warfare strategy, integrating rapid mobility, special forces tactics, and control over inland waterways to offset conventional force disparities.
Colombia, a country that has benefited from US riverine expertise, is one of the best examples of a country that has successfully employed riverine operations. The Colombian Navy and Marine Corps, trained in part by the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS), boast thirteen riverine battalions supported by indigenously designed and built riverine gunboats and naval aviation-units. These units were critical in beating back the FARC insurgency.
NAVSCIATTS, a critical organization that exports riverine expertise to partners around the world, is at risk of closure. This would rob many US allies and partners of a key riverine training resource and further gut the US military of resident expertise in riverine operations. The Pentagon recognizes the importance of riverine expertise and pays to bring hundreds of foreign students per year to the United States to learn it and related skills.
Today, Colombia exports riverine expertise from its Centro Internacional de Excelencia Avanzada Fluvial (International Center of Advanced Riverine Excellence) to other countries. The Dnipro River, which cuts across Ukraine for over six hundred miles, has been a key part of trade networks for luxury goods like walrus ivory and amber in the past. It also provides water for the reservoirs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and powers one of the largest hydropower systems in the world.
Recent research from Stanford University shows that navigable rivers are linked with prosperity and democracy, but are also more likely to suffer from insecurity. The Dnipro River, as a vital waterway in the Ukraine conflict, serves as a reminder of this fact. The Pripyat River, a tributary of the Dnipro River, provided water for the cooling at Chernobyl.
In sum, the Ukraine conflict demonstrates how riverine operations are a vital element in modern irregular warfare, providing critical tactical advantages in mobility, surprise, and territorial contestation in complex littoral and inland waterway environments. Both sides recognize the operational leverage offered by controlling islands, riverbanks, and transport routes, making riverine warfare an active and evolving battlefield in this conflict.
- The military's special operations in the Ukraine conflict, involving riverine maneuvers, underscore the importance of defense and security in controlling key waterways, such as the Dnipro River, which is integral to mobility and commerce.
- The enhanced riverine capabilities of the Ukrainian forces, including the use of fast assault boats, have significantly altered the dynamics of the conflict, enabling surprise raids and high-speed amphibious insertions.
- The global community, including countries like Colombia that have benefited from US riverine expertise, recognizes the strategic value of riverine operations in modern warfare, as they offer unique advantages in irregular warfare, such as mobility, surprise, and territorial contestation.
