A Ukrainian commander disclosed on Saturday that the Russian military has implemented new strategies to address the fighting in the Kursk region, over five months since Kyiv’s forces launched an incursion.
Yehor Nozdryakov, who leads the Air Assault Battalion of the 80th Halychyna Brigade, revealed that Moscow is now deploying large numbers of troops to launch assaults against Ukrainian positions.
He explained that this approach has been effective due to Russia’s advantage in numbers.
“They come in waves, much like in World War II, with groups of 20-30 soldiers,” Nozdryakov said. “In certain areas, this tactic proves effective, as it forces our artillery fire and FPV drone strikes to engage.”
The commander further stated that the Russian military has intensified efforts to assault Ukrainian brigade positions, aiming to push them out of Russian territory by the end of January.
‘Meat Assaults’
Deploying masses of personnel in ground assaults is not a new approach for the Russian military.
In January 2024, a Ukrainian artillery commander told CNN that Moscow’s forces had executed large-scale infantry attacks, where waves of troops advanced with little to no cover.
The Ukrainian military referred to these offensives as “meat assaults,” as the tactic reportedly caused Russia to lose up to 70 soldiers per attack.
Five months later, in June 2024, a Russian soldier admitted that Ukrainian forces nearly wiped out his entire unit amid heavy fighting in Kharkiv.
“They just chop us up! We are sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight, like meat. And commanders just shout ‘forward and forward,’” he recounted.