MCRP 12-10B.1, page 351

operational scene, about one general officer per 3,000 troops, which resulted in confusion as they got in each others way. (5) Poor small unit leadership, particularly at the NCO level, was a primary cause of Russian tactical failures in Grozny. While the Russians recognize that urban combat is small unit intensive, they do not possess a professional NCO corps. Additionally, Russian forces lacked some 12,000 platoon leaders when the intervention began. This had a crippling effect on small unit operations. (6) Russian inability to isolate Chechnya/Grozny allowed a constant flow of reinforcements and supplies into the country/city. Russian control of any given area was at best, porous. The Chechens continued to receive outside support throughout the campaign, as well as, a large supply of arms and equipment from poorly disciplined Russian troops inside Chechnya. (7) Both sides used commercial off-the-shelf communication assets. The information war was as vitally important as any other aspect of the campaign. The Chechens had to make do with commercially available communication equipment. They fully exploited the use of cellular telephones, Motorola radios, improvised television stations, video cameras, and the internet. The Russians lacked sufficient military communication equipment, and had to supplement with commercial assets. (8) Russian tactical communication was very difficult in Grozny. Urban structures in Grozny interfered with Russian military radios, severely hindering tactical communications. The Russians had to establish ground-based and aircraft-based relay stations to overcome the interference. (9) Boundaries between units were tactical weak points. Units had to think of boundaries in both a horizontal and vertical context. There were many instances when the Chechens held the third floor and above, while the Russians held the first two floors and maybe the roof. This caused a lack of coordination, and mutual support. Additionally, due to poor command and control and coordination between units, boundaries became seams through which the Chechens could pass unopposed. b. Intelligence. (1) Lack of high quality intelligence made operations much more difficult and dangerous. Russian intelligence collection and dissemination capabilities were poor throughout the intervention. In March 1996, the Russian Minister of the Interior complained that poor reconnaissance and intelligence allowed Chechen fighters to move in and out of Grozny without opposition, which contributed to the heavy Russian losses. (2) Directives to minimize civilian casualties ultimately put the Russians at a disadvantage. An advantage accrues to the side with less concern for the safety of the civilian population. Initially, the Russians attempted to limit civilian casualties. The Chechen Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain J-3