Human Wave Attacks
Blood tactics cost Putin hundreds of soldiers every day
In the south of the Uraine, the Russian troops have retreated to the defensive. In the east, however, fierce fighting is currently raging. For Moscow, this is obviously associated with high losses. Blame: Putin’s blood tactics.
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Fighters from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic are preparing to launch a mortar shell near the town of Bakhmut.
George NopperEditor News
The retreat in Cherson in southern Ukraine enables Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) to deploy additional soldiers in the east of the country. There is fierce fighting going on there. In the vicinity of the town of Bakhmut, Russian troops recently made some ground gains. As the British military scientist Michael Clarke from London’s King’s College explains on the news channel Sky News, these successes are associated with very high losses.
According to Clarke, the fighting is particularly intense on the front line between the towns of Swatowe and Kreminna. An important road that connects Russia with the city of Luhansk runs there. “It’s one of the main supply arteries,” he says. If the Russians lose these, they would have to put up with long detours. “I think this is the most intense open fighting I’ve seen since the beginning of the war.”
“Can’t take losses much longer”
As Clarke further explains, Russia has moved airborne troops from Kherson to the Donbass region. ‘A few weeks ago we thought this battle might be over. But the Russians are doing pretty well in Svetove and Kreminna.” Whether Putin’s troops can keep up this pressure is another question, according to the military expert. “You can’t take losses of this magnitude much longer,” says Clarke.
Trench turns into swamp: Ukrainian soldier shows mud chaos at the front(01:07)
Moscow is reportedly losing between 700 and 800 soldiers a day. But the Ukrainians would also lose a significant number of troops, Clarke says, albeit fewer than their opponents. “But the Russians just throw men into these human wave attacks. They have criminals at the front, convicts they got out of jail, followed by mobilized troops, and then finally the regular troops at the back.”
General promised to “crush the enemy”
The regular troops’ job is to shoot at anyone who retreats. “So the idea is: either you go forward or you die. This causes them huge losses.”
Putin’s top general for the Ukraine war, Sergei Surovikin (56), is responsible for the strategy. When appointed in October, he promised a high rate of attack and “crushing the enemy.” According to Clarke, his tactics also include putting pressure on the civilian population by shutting down Ukraine’s electricity supply. (noo)