MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

GOING UP? Unverified pic of Russians soldiers stuck inside an elevator goes viral

Urban Warfare expert, John Spencer says that taking an elevator during war can be seen as a result of the training the Russians have gone through.

Another new addition to the viral pictures and videos of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the unverified picture of a squad of Russian soldiers packed tightly in an elevator, supposedly stuck while trying to make their way to the top of a building. The picture was posted by an eastern European news outlet, Visegrád 24, on March 4, but like most reports of the war, the story behind the picture remains unclear.

The timestamp from the photo is dated March 3, and it first appeared online on March 4. The photo showed Russian soldiers fully equipped with weapons, stuck in an elevator, with a few looking up with a bit of confusion at the security camera. Internet claims that these much be the Russian forces fighting on the outskirts of Kharkiv​ and Kyiv; the picture kind of shows an urban environment.

READ MORE

Sobbing Ukrainian dad says goodbye to his daughter in heartbreaking viral video

Terminally-ill children at Russian hospice FORCED to stand in snow and form 'Z' to support troops

Many online users are assuming that they are stuck because they were locked in after power was switched off. Conservative Party MP, Johnny Mercer, also tweeted about the picture; he wrote, "If you haven’t seen it these Russian Paras yesterday were seeking a way to the top of a building. Obviously they took the lift, why not? But, the caretakers switched off the power and took a photo of them."

However, comedian Dom Joly responded with a tweet that said: "So why is the light on?"To which Mr Mercer replied: "Fair one." "I think he just stopped the lift."

Besides the discussion about the power being on or off, many online users are also wondering as to whether it is a good idea to take the elevator during combat.

Among various discussions about the particular picture, John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, told the publication, Task & Purpose, that the act of Russian soldiers taking elevator during combat can be seen as not less than a stellar training that Russians much have gone through.

Elaborating his point, Spencer said: “This aspect of the vertical terrain in urban warfare is a huge gap. It really exposes the difficulty and lack of capability to conduct warfare above a certain floor.”

"Urban combat is the great equalizer, but fighting in tall buildings has very little precedence outside of counter-terrorism scenarios. U.S. Army guidelines cover urban operations, but there is nothing in our urban doctrine that highlights a change in tactics based on high rise structures,” he added.

"It would be insanely risky to use an elevator in an enemy-occupied building, but maybe if you just needed to check a single floor, I suppose it would not be out of the question. Tactically, it is likely easier to bypass tall buildings altogether," he further said. So, in this instance taking an elevator in a war might be seen as a result of the vigorous training the Russian soldiers have gone through.