Russia has changed its offensive tactics in Ukraine. What instead of "human flesh attack" and why it works

Even a year ago, the so-called "human flesh raids" were a common way of breaking through and advancing in the Russian army, especially during protracted battles, such as the battles for Bakhmut and Avdiyevka.

In such battles, groups of several dozen Russian soldiers attacked enemy positions, moving through an open field, usually without artillery support. This tactic reminded many of the trench battles of the First World War.

In Ukraine, such offensives were nicknamed "human flesh attacks", as soldiers died under a barrage of enemy fire, which would be followed by a new wave of attacks. Due to incredible losses, the Russian army slowly moved forward, pushing the Ukrainians out of their positions.

 

Why are there no more "human flesh attacks"

But the widespread use of aerial reconnaissance and FPV drones is changing the methods of warfare in Ukraine. Drones and flying kamikaze devices simply do not allow infantry to move calmly around the battlefield, and as a result, attacking in large groups becomes pointless.

And judging by the stories of the Ukrainian army, which repels the current attacks of the Russian army in the Donbass, Moscow no longer resorts to the "human flesh attack" tactic.

Recently, the Russians do not attack in large formations, but mostly move in smaller groups, says Sergeant Ivan Klebanyuk, commander of the unmanned aerial vehicle platoon of the 2nd Fighter Battalion of the 68th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

His unit is working in the direction of Pokrovsky, where the Russian army has been trying to break through the defenses of this large logistics center for several months.

Attempts to take positions often occur with the help of a column led by a heavy armored vehicle - a tank or an armored personnel carrier.

"It can be followed by motorcycles, buggies (quad bikes), "zhigulis" with trimmed roofs - that is, any vehicle that can move," says Sergeant Klebanjuk.

Sometimes these movements take place without the cover of heavy armored vehicles.

 

"As soon as they establish contact with our position, they move 200 to 300 meters away," explains the sergeant. "They line up the whole landing and then their group tries to get in."

 

Electric scooters and nets

The mobility of the civilian equipment used gives a certain advantage, says soldier Anatolij from the 72nd brigade from the Kurahovo part of the front.

"It's much harder to hit strollers, motorcycles or electric scooters - and such things do happen - because of their high speed and small size," explains Anatolij.

In some cases, says Anatoly, the Russians try to approach the position on their vehicles and throw anti-tank mines at it.

Endless attacks by small groups in columns also take place in Velika Novosilka, a large fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which covers the flanks both in the direction of Zaporozhye and the city of Kurakov in the east.

In one of the recent attacks, several MT-LB transporters, disabled by the infantry, tried to make their way to the village. The transporters were hung with nets and so-called "grills" against drones. At the head of the column was a tank with a foot drag, which was clearing the road from mines.

But the aerial reconnaissance of the presidential brigade named after Bohdan Kmelnitsky detected their movement and destroyed all the equipment with the help of FPV drones.

"The main thing for the Russians is not the equipment. It doesn't matter to them whether they will burn it. The main thing for them is to bring the infantry to the right point," says the deputy commander of the 3rd mechanized battalion of the Presidential Brigade with the call sign "Arkas".

"That's why in that attack we first missed the tank, worked on the armored vehicles that directly transported the infantry. And only then destroyed the tank," adds Arkas.

Flying Grenade Launchers: How They Help the Armed Forces

According to Arkas, the armored vehicle at the head of the convoy is always protected by ERW. It closes a certain radius and therefore it is very difficult to get equipment that goes with it. One way out is to fly over the column and strike from behind.

In the Arkas battalion, pilots are experimenting with a grenade launcher mounted on a drone. When the FPV drones can't get close, lose their image and the EW jams their signal, then these flying grenade launchers open fire from a distance to disable the EW.

Even in those areas, where the terrain does not allow the use of attack equipment, Russian assaults do not usually go in large groups. On the northern flank of Torecko, where the front line runs along the canal, the Russians are moving one or two, said Senior Lieutenant Yevhen Alkhimov of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. With such individual overflights, they gather near Ukrainian positions.

"When their number reaches five to eight people, they attack," explains senior lieutenant Alkhimov.

 

With the onset of winter, the weather is helping the Russians.

"It is foggy in the morning. Because of the frost, the ground becomes hard and it is much easier for the enemy to move. We often see them at the very entrances to our positions," explains Sergeant Klebanjuk.

When it rains or snows, the reconnaissance drones of the Armed Forces cannot take to the sky, and therefore the troops cannot track the enemy's movements. Sergeant Klebanjuk just shook his head at the remark that not even the Russian army can conduct aerial reconnaissance under such conditions.

This does not stop them, because they want to reach the goal at any cost, he says.

Advantage in manpower and weapons

The advance of the Russians in several areas of the front is explained not so much by tactics, but by superiority in weapons and manpower. It is precisely these factors that force the Ukrainians to withdraw.

Recently, during another attack on the southern flank of Kurakhovo, two Russian soldiers on a motorcycle managed to reach the Ukrainian positions, enter the trenches and shoot at the soldiers sitting there.

"Attempts to knock them out begin. You can't get close to the trench - their drones work from point to point," Anatoly recalls that attack.

While all attention was focused on those trenches, the offensive began on the other side.

“As a result, the fighting is on two flanks at the same time, here [the Russians] led a group under the cover of an armored personnel carrier (APC), right in the center between the two flanks. In fact, they just went straight, because there was simply no one to cover due to the lack of people at that time," says Anatolij.

As a result, Ukrainians lost a third of their villages. And such attacks are repeated again and again.

The tactics of the Russian forces may have changed, but the attitude of the military leadership towards the soldiers clearly has not. After all, the task for a hunter to get to an enemy position on a motorcycle is often the same one-way street as in "human flesh attacks".