Kathrine Frich
The final blow is knowing that nobody is coming to pull them out
War rarely looks like the tidy arrows drawn on a commander’s map.
Out in the mud and ruins, grand strategies quickly shrink down to a handful of soldiers trying to survive the next hour.
When the radio goes quiet and backup never arrives, that isolation can push troops past their breaking point.
Stranded at the front
More Russian foot soldiers are taking their own lives along the Huliaipole front, according to an October 22 report by AAF and Ukrinform.
The spike comes as commanders send infantry forward in tiny groups to capture ground. Once those men move out, they are largely on their own.
According to AAF, these small squads are being ordered to advance without proper combat backup. On any battlefield, infantry rely on heavy cover and steady supplies to hold new positions or push through enemy lines.
Without that basic shield, even a short move across open ground becomes a one-way trip.
Making matters worse, the soldiers lack working communications gear, AAF reported. When a small team loses contact with its command post, troops cannot call in help, check where friendly units are standing, or warn anyone that they are pinned down. Silence on the line leaves men completely cut off in hostile territory.
No way out
For wounded or trapped soldiers, the final blow is knowing that nobody is coming to pull them out. AAF noted that the Russian infantrymen advancing in the Huliaipole sector have no way to evacuate once an assault goes wrong.
In modern combat, the promise of medical rescue keeps frontline troops fighting through heavy fire. Take that safety net away, and soldiers know that a serious injury means being left behind in the dirt.
Faced with advancing in tiny groups, cut off from radio contact, lacking backup, and stripped of any path to safety, a growing number of Russian troops in the sector are choosing to end their own lives, AAF reported.
The grim trend highlights the brutal conditions facing ordinary foot soldiers ordered to push forward at all costs.
