Two Russian vehicles parked in what appears to be a hasty security halt learn why dispersion is important after artillery impacts the lead vehicle of their small armored column.

Force dispersal, better known as dispersion, is a tactic employed in combat scenarios to minimize the effects of collateral damage from explosives and bombs on vehicles and personnel. This is a basic tactic that every service member in every armed force around the world is taught during their basic combat training maneuvers. There's nothing special about the technique, nor is it a difficult concept to grasp. Two vehicles one meter apart from each other are a much juicier target for indirect fire weapon systems than two vehicles spread out over 25 meters.

In this video, you're watching Russian vehicles conducting what appears to be a hasty security halt. There's a million reasons they could be doing this, from spotting something suspicious in the road to someone in the patrol really needing to take a dump. Regardless of the why however, the conduct of the halt is what did these guys in. For whatever reason, these Russian troops decided to ignore basic force dispersal techniques and they parked their vehicles right next to each other just long enough for a Ukrainian drone to spot them.

As a result, indirect fires were called in directly on their position, and they had solid first round effects on target. Had the Russian split their forces, the target area would have been much smaller. This would have made it harder for the Ukrainians to dial in their artillery pieces. While Ukrainian artillery is extremely accurate still, it would have been much harder for them to get first round impacts which could have given the Russians time to get back on the move.

Unfortunately for the Russians, they ignored the basic principle every second week recruit is taught about not clustering in tight formations.