Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
WARNING: The article includes descriptions of self-harm and suicide.
A troubling claim from Ukraine’s military suggests a grim shift in conduct on the front lines. Officials say new practices may be spreading among Russian forces under mounting pressure.
Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces said on March 22 that an unofficial “instruction manual” appears to be circulating among Russian troops.
According to the statement, released on Telegram, soldiers are allegedly being driven to kill wounded comrades and then themselves.
“A real conveyor belt of self-destruction — this is the occupiers’ new ‘manual,’” the Air Assault Forces said. “It is brutally simple and terrifying at the same time: finish off your wounded comrade and then put a bullet in your own head.”
The military added that the video it published contains graphic material and reflects what it described as a worsening situation for Russian units.
Important note: The footage in the post on Telegram contains graphic imagery of suicide and self-harm, which is why we have not embedded it.
The post can be found here (opens new tab); viewer discretion is advised.
Pressure on troops
According to the Ukrainian military, intensified use of fiber-optic drones, guided bomb strikes, and artillery has made evacuation from the battlefield increasingly difficult for Russian forces.
“While Ukraine’s Armed Forces fight for every life and pull their own soldiers out of the hottest positions, the enemy is simply erasing itself — platoon by platoon,” the statement said.
Kyiv has repeatedly highlighted drone warfare as a decisive factor shaping conditions at the front.
Rising losses
Ukraine’s leadership has pointed to growing Russian casualties. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in February that, for the first time in 2025, Russia’s losses exceeded the number of newly mobilized troops.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 17 that nearly 100,000 Russian soldiers had been lost over three months, adding that drones accounted for 90% of battlefield losses.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said intelligence indicated that 62% of Russian losses were killed and 38% wounded.
Strategic goals
Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said one objective set by Zelenskyy is to eliminate 50,000 Russian troops monthly.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russia lost about 970 troops on the previous day as of March 23, bringing total estimated losses since February 2022 to 1,288,850 personnel.
These figures could not be independently verified.
Sources: Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, statements by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Mykhailo Fedorov, The New Voice of Ukraine, Ukraine’s General Staff
