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According to the Institute for the Study of War, the new strategy clearly shows that Putin don’t care how many Russian lives are lost, as long as he can keep advancing in Ukraine.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the new strategy clearly shows that Putin don’t care how many Russian lives are lost, as long as he can keep advancing in Ukraine.
Bloodiest year of the war in the making
In early May, the British Ministry of Defence released an intelligence update on the war in Ukraine. This showed that Russia has likely lost approximatly 950,000 troops at that time, and that 2025 is en route to become the bloodiest year of the war regarding Russian lives.
New strategy applied
Even though the Russian casualties are hitting record numbers, the Russian military now seem to implement a new strategy on the battlefield. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian recruits are sent to fight at the frontline in Ukraine with as little as a month of training.
No regard for human lives
The ISW states in their daily report: “ISW has repeatedly observed reports that new Russian recruits only receive a month of training before deploying to Ukraine, and this limited training is likely constraining recruits’ combat capabilities and the Russian military’s overall capacity to successfully conduct complex operations.”
Up to 60,000 new recruits every month
Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that 50,000 to 60,000 volunteers join the Russian military every month. If these numbers are true, it would most likely make the Russian military able to replenish their record high losses in Ukraine.
A war of attrition
Russia has previously been accused of waging a war of attrition, simply because they are more able to replenish their losses than Ukraine is. The implementation of the new strategy seems to support that observation.
Pressuring the West
ISW sees the new reports as a Russian attempt to put further pressure on both Ukraine and the West amids ongoing negotiations of a possible ceasefire or even peace.
Aiming for complete control of regions?
If peace is to be agreed on, Putin demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw completely from the four regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, which Russia annexed in 2022. Russia does not have full control of the regions, however, which might be part of the reason for the continuous push.
Uncertainty about Istanbul
Ukrainien President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has challegened Putin to meet him face to face to initiatite peace negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. It is unknown if the talks will happen, as experts suggest that Putin will not travel to Istanbul, as this would legitimite Zelenskyy, who Putin sees as illegitimate.