Russia and Ukraine both failed at tank assaults because they can't surprise each other for 2 key reasons, expert says

• Tank assaults have gone poorly for both Russia and Ukraine because they can't surprise each other.
• Flat terrain and lots of drones mean defenders see the tanks coming, an expert told BI.
• Ukraine stopped attempting such attacks, while Russia persisted despite frequent defeats.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has been able to pull off successful tank assaults — and there is a clear reason.

The flat terrain and number of drones in the sky make it too hard to surprise the other side, an expert told Business Insider.

Riley Bailey, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War think tank, said the attacks were unlikely to work without surprise.