Russian troops are said to be implementing a new tactic of mass attacks with hundreds of soldiers, marking a departure from their earlier approach of gradual, small-scale infantry attacks, Ukraine’s military has said. The switch occurs as Ukraine prepares for Russia’s expected new offensive more than three years since the conflict has been ongoing.
The southern command of the Ukrainian military posted video on Thursday that showed a Russian attack close to a number of villages along the southern front line in Zaporizhzhia region. The Wednesday evening attack involved 320 troops and 40 armored vehicles. The attack, which was for approximately two and a half hours, was repelled by Ukrainian troops, inflicting heavy Russian casualties. The Ukrainian authorities were unable to independently confirm the battle claims.
Since more than two years ago, Russia has used tiny infantry teams of only five to seven soldiers to sneak through the lines in Ukraine. It is a tactical reversal from when Russia first tried using big columns of armour and it got hit by Ukraine’s nimble armies. The arrival of drone warfare further makes things more difficult for Russia to implement classical armoured warfare because with drones, more precise attacks can be made.
Ukrainian military spokesman Vladyslav Voloshyn said that the small cells employed anti-drone capability to open windows for their attack, launching anywhere from ten attacks a day on Wednesday on the Zaporizhzhia frontline. Voloshyn added that Wednesday’s attack was just one of many, with a very big one on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Pivnenko, commander of Ukraine’s National Guard, said that a different brigade drove off a similar massive attack involving armoured vehicles and infantry close to Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
The change in Russia’s tactics marks a new phase in the conflict, as both sides prepare for what could be decisive events in the war.
