The Russians are using infiltration tactics into Ukrainian positions with greater frequency than before, which are intended to cause chaos, Ukrainian soldiers on the front line say, according to Business Insider.
Russian soldiers on the Donetsk front photo profimedia
Guided by drones, small groups of soldiers are sneaking into the front lines and creating increasing problems for the Ukrainian defenders.
Their missions are different: conquering key positions, which they are tasked with holding until reinforcements arrive; disrupting Ukrainian defenses by unmasking drone operators or planting mines near Ukrainian positions.
This tactic of the Russians, initially sporadic, is now common, says Artem, an officer in the 3rd Army Corps.
Infiltrations have “become the main combat tactic” in the eastern Donetsk region, an area of heavy fighting, said Dimko Jluktenko, a drone operator with the Unmanned Systems Forces in Kyiv, saying it largely fulfills its goal of creating a corridor for Russian forces, allowing them to penetrate deep into Ukrainian territory.
The tactic creates problems on a long front line – even with continuous drone monitoring.
Artem, former deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade and current head of military partnerships at the independent Snake Island Institute, explained how this tactic works.
A few Russian soldiers are sent ahead – they have camouflage clothing and tents. Commanders monitor the area with drones and radio them information, guiding them beyond Ukrainian lines. If they manage to get past undetected, they wait for the arrival of a larger number of soldiers to take action. The tactic forces the Ukrainians to send troops from other areas of the front line to combat an incursion, which often comes unexpectedly, with no way to anticipate it.
In one case, Ukrainians defending a 10-kilometer stretch of front found themselves infiltrated by Russian troops in 14 locations simultaneously.
Often the first soldiers to break into Ukrainian lines are armed only with anti-tank mines. These may be enough to temporarily destabilize Ukrainian positions.
Sometimes the first to arrive are Russian soldiers on motorcycles, says a Ukrainian officer with the call sign Tihi.
Ukrainian drone operators have the ability to respond to these small incursions, but at the risk of revealing their positions. By tracking infiltrations from the air, with drones, Russian commanders have the opportunity to identify bases and launch zones, which they then strike, the Ukrainian military explained.
In some cases, Russian infantrymen begin their mission several kilometers from the front, advancing on foot to a target location and trying to survive by hiding in forests and abandoned houses. A large number of them are killed before reaching their destination.
According to Ukrainian front-line soldiers, the tactic is causing huge losses to the Russians – but these soldiers are so-called “expendable resources”.
“Hundreds of Russians are ready to give their lives every day in those indiscriminate attacks,” drone operators say, adding that the tactic requires these troops to pour continuously to the front.
These assaults fit into the paradigm of the already infamous human wave attacks that became characteristic of the brutal battles on the eastern front.
Russian infiltrations have reached a peak in the city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian troops risk being surrounded by thousands of Russian soldiers.
