- January 14, 2026
- 12:48 pm
- World News
Russia is once again relying not only on weapons but also on the weather. Frost and snow are seen as tools of pressure — simultaneously on the front, on infrastructure, and on life in rear cities. In this logic, winter becomes a separate factor of war, which should complicate defense and exhaust the country.
At temperatures of minus 15–20 degrees, the conditions for conducting military operations change dramatically. People lose strength faster, it is more difficult to maintain constant combat readiness, and protecting peaceful cities from missiles and drones requires more resources. The energy infrastructure becomes especially vulnerable, as targeted strikes are made against it.
The cold primarily affects the human factor. In such conditions, survival becomes part of the combat task: more time is needed for setting up shelters, insulation, and organizing overnight stays. A mistake in everyday life can result in losses no less than a mistake under fire.
Equipment in winter requires a special regime. It must be prepared in advance for “winter rails”: changing fuel and lubricants, ensuring warming before use, and allowing additional time for maintenance. Any malfunction in the frost can lead to a task failure at the most inopportune moment.
Frost affects defense and offense differently. On one hand, frozen ground simplifies the movement of heavy equipment where mud was an obstacle in the fall. Roads and fields become passable. On the other hand, setting up trenches and shelters becomes significantly more difficult: it is hard to take cover in frozen soil, and the risk of frostbite increases even during short stops.
A separate risk is associated with the freezing of rivers. If the ice on major waterways gains strength, there is a possibility of attempts to cross them. Every parameter is important here — from the thickness of the ice to the weight of the equipment and gear. Such areas automatically become zones of increased attention and potential threat.
Winter is also actively used in the information war. The image of “General Frost” regularly appears in propaganda narratives as a force capable of changing the course of events. These statements are accompanied by massive strikes on energy infrastructure — the calculation is on the combination of cold, power outages, and pressure on the civilian population.
However, frost is a two-sided factor. It equally complicates life for both attackers and defenders. Any energy system is vulnerable at extreme temperatures, and the cold does not recognize borders and front lines.
The work of air defense becomes especially difficult. After repelling air attacks, units are forced to quickly change positions, as the enemy actively conducts reconnaissance, including with drones equipped with cameras. Fixing coordinates and repeated strikes make staying in one place deadly dangerous.
Changing positions in winter is always heavy engineering work. New points often have to be set up literally “from scratch”: in open fields or forests, in frozen ground, at sub-zero temperatures. It is necessary not only to place equipment and ensure camouflage but also to create minimal conditions for the survival of people.
In such conditions, the need for rear resources sharply increases — fuel, consumables, engineering equipment, heating, and repair means. Winter makes war slower, heavier, and more expensive for all sides.
In extreme cold, forced pauses in active combat operations are possible. Equipment requires warming, people need recovery, and mistakes in the frost are too costly. The winter period does not cancel the war but changes its rhythm and increases the cost of every decision.
That is why relying on “General Frost” is not a strategy but a risky illusion. The cold only exposes weak spots and amplifies the consequences of strikes, without guaranteeing a breakthrough. This context is important to understand when reading materials from НАновости — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, which explain how the season and climate become part of modern warfare.
