Russian soldiers continue to be used as cannon fodder in Ukraine, a harrowing clip being shared on social media has suggested, with one captured conscript claiming to have seen “hundreds of bodies lying everywhere”. The clip, shared by, among others, Estonia-based blogger WarTranslated, features footage of large numbers of Russian troops in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk oblast apparently surrendering.
A voiceover comments: “Russian commanders are throwing their infantry into battle without communication, ammunition, or food. These poor soldiers are hiding in basements without water and food until they are killed, until they start to surrender. The stories of these prisoners reveal a real picture of the enemy’s losses in the Pokrovsk sector.”
The clip then cuts to a man in military fatigues who identifies himself as “Koryagin Artem, from the Republic of Moldavia, the City of Saransk”.
He continues: “I was wanted then I found me, and instead of a prison sentence, they sent me back to the war.
“They sent us on a mission, didn’t tell us what to do where to go.”
The men were given phones and maps and ordered to “storm on or two houses” on the edge of a village called Shevchenko, he explains.
The man adds: “Our commanders sent 40 men to storm Shevchenko.
“I can’t tell you exactly but about 50, five people at a time.
“There were 25 of us moving around in twos on foot and while we were walking through the tree line, there were hundreds of dead Russian soldiers lying everywhere.
“I was just surprised at the number of bodies of people who were in the wooded areas, Russian soldiers, you just step over them.”
The conscript’s report appears to be another example of Russian “meatgrinder” tactics, a reference to a brutal, attritional approach where the primary objective intended to wear down the enemy through overwhelming force, regardless of the cost in personnel and resources.
The tactic has been evident in Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, especially in protracted battles for key regions.
Russian forces have often sent large numbers of troops into intense, close-quarters combat, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.
The phrase highlights the expendable nature of Russian troops in such engagements, with little regard for the high human toll. The strategy aims to inflict maximum destruction on Ukrainian forces through sheer numbers and relentless pressure, often at the cost of poorly coordinated, poorly equipped units.
The meatgrinder strategy contrasts with more tactical, manoeuvre-based warfare and reflects Russia’s reliance on mass assaults to break Ukrainian resistance, particularly in contested areas like Bakhmut.