Russia's bloody tactics: Russian "meat assaults" create big problems for Ukraine

Ukraine faces serious challenges due to a shortage of manpower on the front lines , while Russia uses brutal and expensive tactics to increase the pressure on Kiev's defenses, Business Insider reports .
Dara Massicot, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, recently returned from a research trip to Ukraine, where she met with Ukrainian units facing troop shortages and many other problems.
"What the units are experiencing from the Russians is a significant strain from Russian tactics," Massicot said on a podcast by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
She noted that the Russians "are constantly, day and night, attacking Ukrainians in very small groups. It's death from a thousand cuts. It's very stressful for units that are understaffed."
Russia's small-scale assaults, known as "meat assaults," have always been a problem for Ukraine, but they are now making the situation particularly difficult because of the manpower shortage.
To address the issue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lowered the minimum age for mobilization from 27 to 25. But the Biden administration is pushingto lower the age further to increase the pool of people available for conscription. So far, Kyiv has resisted that step.
However, personnel problems are not unique to Ukraine. Russia also has problems with mobilization. Although these problems are less urgent than in Ukraine, Moscow suffers significant losses on the battlefield, raising questions about the ability to supply the troops in the future.
This human wave tactic is proving extremely expensive. Experts at the Institute for the Study of War note that Russia’s commitment to maintaining a high level of activity on the front is placing a huge strain on its human resources.
"The limited labor pool is unlikely to withstand this level of losses in the medium term," the updated war report said.
Russia suffered its heaviest losses of the war in November, averaging more than 1,500 soldiers a day, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The total for the month was about 46,000. November was the most expensive month for the Russian military and the fifth in a row in which its losses have increased.
"The high casualty rate probably reflects the intensity of Russian operations," the UK defence ministry said, adding that Moscow was likely to continue losing more than 1,000 soldiers every day.
Russia is using Soviet tactics, in which any gains justify even significant losses. Troops are thrown in wave after wave, depriving Ukrainian units of the opportunity to rest. This tactic was observed in the battles for Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Pokrovsk and other cities.
The Russian leadership has demonstrated its willingness to bear these losses in a long campaign that benefits Russia because of its numerical superiority. Ukraine, on the other hand, has fewer resources for such a fight.
Massicot stressed that Russia is still putting enormous pressure on Ukrainian troops despite high casualties: "Losses do not lead to the end of this tactic."