Russia used a “meat wave” strategy that sent dozens of poorly trained soldiers to die on the front lines against Ukraine to make way for more valuable Kremlin elite units — then left their frozen corpses on the battlefield.
A Ukrainian sniper stationed in Avdiivka, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the war, recently said the Kremlin’s tactics are sending its troops out to “just go and die,” CNN reported.
The special forces officer, identified only by his call sign, “Bess,” told the outlet that as soon as the shooting and drone strikes ended, the bodies of the dead Russian soldiers “lay there frozen.
“No one moved them, no one took them away,” he said. “It feels like people don’t have a specific job, they just go and die.”
Despite appearing to suffer heavy losses, Russian forces still made steady progress at Avdiivka and elsewhere overwhelming Ukrainian forces by sheer numbers before the Kremlin’s elite paratroopers and marines arrived for the final push in a heated battle.
Inexperienced Russian soldiers were easily spotted and killed by Ukrainian snipers and drones in Avdiivka. @BUAR110ombr/Telegram Total Russian bodies, however, were not found and only lay frozen on the battlefield. @BUAR110ombr/Telegram The tactic has been described as a “meat wave,” in which Russia appears to send wave after wave of troops to defeat their enemies. @BUAR110ombr/Telegram
The tactic is not without its critics. The Ukrainian Post newspaper reported last week that more elite Kremlin troops are following the “meat wave” against the strategy over fears of mass Russian casualties.
More than 100 relatives of Russian soldiers also opposed the tactic, writing to Russian President Vladimir Putin last month after orders were issued to redeploy wounded soldiers to the battle in Avdiivka, according to Important Stories, an independent Russian news channel.
But the commander of Ukraine’s drone reconnaissance unit in Avdiivka said it was clear that the “meat attack” strategy had not stopped and was proving effective in the eastern Ukrainian city.
“If we can kill 40 to 70 soldiers with drones in a day, the next day they renew their forces and continue to attack,” the commander told CNN.
The leader, who was not named, added that Ukraine could make progress against the onslaught of Russian waves if the supply of arms and ammunition did not decrease.
Russian troops tried to move along the front line before being attacked by Ukrainian soldiers. @BUAR110ombr/Telegram
The commander’s comments came as soldiers stationed near Bakhmut admitted that their crews had run out of ammunition needed for their US-supplied M109 Paladin Howitzers.
Russia, on the other hand, is rapidly increasing its own firepower and overwhelming Ukraine’s supplies, with Moscow even using Soviet-era reserves to launch attacks near the border.
“The ratio was about 10 to 1,” one commander told CNN. “Russia is a country that produces ammunition and they have a strategic stockpile. Yes, they use the old Soviet system. But the Soviet system could still kill.”
Norwegian General Eirik Kristoffersen also warned on Sunday that Moscow was building up its weapons stockpile at a much faster rate than previously predicted, widening the gap with Ukraine and threatening to spread the war across Europe.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
