A simple picture that explains a lot.
A picture that explains how Russian armored forces have learned to deal with Ukrainian Anti Tank Missile crews. .
Like every other arm chair general leading the war from the comforts of his own home my tactical and strategic mind never rests. One thing that I pondered upon is why Russian LPR/DPR armored forces were not just all smoking hulks with the amount of NATO man portable Anti-Tank weapons dumped in the Ukraine and touted as the game changer at the beginning. Then I happened to stumble upon this picture and it starts to make sense.
Lets put aside battery, design, short shots, duds, and lack of training for the moment. All those are big factors that effect the use of the weapon and limit their intended effectiveness. Still, even when they are fresh, functioning, and deployed in experienced hands they are not as effective as the WEST thought they would be.
It is all in that picture.
Do you see any buildings on the side of the road? No, but you know they are there. Now think about if you have 10-20x magnification Thermal optic sights. I have seen that view a hundred of times in a tank and can tell you its all about angles and weight.
First, using optics a tank gunner can see far more clearly through those trees then a soldier looking back through an open sight. More importantly the weight and force of the main gun round can punch right through most branches even at distance and strike its target without pre-detonating. A man portable ATM cant do these things.
To be able to compensate the ATM crews either have to get closer or wait till the tank comes to them. Now that team is exposing itself to more danger simply because their ATMs cannot be used effectively from the distances they were meant to be used from. No matter what they choose their are always forward forces clearing ahead of what the tank is supporting. The fact is that ATM units are usually in contact and defending against infantry attack well before they get into needed range to kill the tank, and that is if it kills it first shot.
I am not saying that ATMs are not getting kills on armor or that they are useless but what I am saying is that Armored Russian Forces are using the advantages they have to limit the effectiveness of ATMs to well below what I expected. A lot has to do with how they learned to use armor and infantry together in Syria from fighting Urban Combat. You see the same tactics they developed there being used in the Ukraine.
That is how this all looks from the Meddyverse.