According to the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine, an unofficial “manual” containing extreme instructions for managing wounded soldiers on the battlefield is circulating among the Russian occupation troops, New Voice of Ukraine reports.
Russian artillery units in Belgorod PHOTO profimedia
The information was made public on March 22, along with a video that the Ukrainian military says illustrates the practice, with authorities warning that the footage is disturbing.
“A true chain of self-destruction – this is the new “handbook” of the occupiers,” the Air Assault Force reported. “It's brutally simple and scary at the same time: take out the wounded comrade and then shoot yourself in the head.”
According to the Ukrainian military, the constant pressure exerted by the presence of fiber-optic drones, precision airstrikes and artillery has created conditions in which Russian soldiers are forced to resign themselves to the fact that evacuation is unlikely. This situation leads to acts of desperation among demoralized soldiers on the front line.
“While the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fighting for every life and evacuating their own soldiers from the hottest positions, the enemy is simply sweeping itself away – platoon by platoon,” the Air Assault Forces update reads.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly highlighted Russia's high battlefield losses as a sign of pressure on Moscow's forces. In February, Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Sîrski said that in 2025 Russia's losses on the battlefield exceeded the number of newly mobilized recruits for the first time.
Digital Transformation Minister Mihailo Fedorov also stated that one of the goals set by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is to eliminate 50,000 Russian soldiers per month.
On March 10, Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents detailing how Russia assesses its own losses. According to him, the distribution shows that of the total losses on the battlefield, 62% are dead and 38% wounded.
Later, on March 17, Zelensky said that Russia had lost nearly 100,000 soldiers on the front lines in the past three months. He added that 90% of Russia's losses on the battlefield are caused by Ukrainian drones.
On March 22, the General Staff of Ukraine estimated that Russia had lost approximately 940 servicemen in the past 24 hours. Since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, total Russian military losses are estimated by Ukraine at 1,287,880 soldiers.
Russia launched simultaneous attacks on several parts of the front
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces report repulsing Russian offensive operations in several directions. Sîrski described that in recent days there have been intense clashes in which Russian forces have not achieved their objectives despite the commitment of significant resources.
According to Sîrski, Russian troops significantly increased the intensity of assaults between March 17 and 20, carrying out 619 attacks along the front line.
The strongest pressure was exerted in the directions of Pokrovsk and Oleksandrivsk in the Donetsk region, with 163 and 96 assaults, respectively. The Oleksandrivsk direction remains one of the most contested sectors of the front, located near the administrative borders of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions, where Ukrainian forces have recently launched counteroffensives and regained ground after previous Russian attempts to consolidate in the area.
Intense fighting also continued near Kostiantînivka in the Donetsk region, as well as in the Lîman direction (between Donetsk and Lugansk), the Kupiansk direction in the Kharkiv region, and the Oceretine area of Donetsk.
Despite the deployment of significant reserves, Russian forces have not been able to break through the Ukrainian defensive lines, Sîrski said. Ukrainian troops have halted the advance in several sectors, while heavy fighting continues in others as Russian units regroup for possible further attacks.
“Overall, the enemy has not fulfilled its set tasks,” he said, adding that Russian forces are trying to bring in reinforcements and are banking on more difficult weather conditions to reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones and artillery.
He described the attacks as “meat assaults”, involving tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy casualties. In just four days, Russian forces would have lost more than 6,000 soldiers, dead and wounded, bringing total weekly losses to around 8,700, according to the Ukrainian command.
Sîrski stated that Ukrainian units were prepared for the escalation, reinforcing the positions with additional personnel, equipment and ammunition. He attributed the defense to the “courage and resilience” of Ukrainian soldiers who are holding the line under constant pressure.
He added that in some sectors Ukrainian forces have taken the initiative and are conducting active defensive operations, indicating localized counterattacks despite continued Russian pressure along the front.
