Russian troops are pressing the Ukrainian military on multiple fronts, attempting to exhaust Ukrainian forces by integrating three distinct elements into a single tactical plan. Although signs of this approach appeared earlier this year, Moscow has significantly ramped up its use along the front in the past two months.
The tactic involves a three-step approach. First, enemy forces launch a ground assault designed to force Ukrainian units into fixed defensive positions, stripping them of the ability to maneuver.
Next, UAVs monitor Ukrainian troop movements and pinpoint weak spots in their defenses. The continuous presence of drones forces Ukrainian units to remain static and expend additional effort—in some cases by digging multiple trenches to conceal the real concentration of forces—to mislead the enemy, said Nick Reynolds, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
In the final phase, Russian air force launches glide bombs to target the identified positions.
“This is where the real dilemma comes, or the really difficult one, to which there isn’t really an answer,” said Reynolds.
“Digging in and all those protective measures are excellent for reducing attrition by artillery or FPVs, yet glide bombs will destroy those fortifications and bury people.”
The Ukrainian command now faces a difficult choice: hold positions at high risk of heavy losses or abandon them to preserve mobility, thereby increasing vulnerability to air strikes and drone attacks.
“By using huge numbers of people and sending them in assaults on Ukrainian positions, they are trying to exhaust our soldiers and our resources,” said Serhii Kuzan, head of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center.
“The intensity of the fighting in places like Pokrovsk [Donetsk Oblast] is very high, with assaults every two hours. This is of course exhausting for our soldiers.”
At the same time, former British Army Colonel and chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon noted that Ukrainian forces have become “very adept and innovative about countering all types of Russian attack.”
The strategy, the report adds, has drawn Ukraine deeper into a war of attrition. So far, however, Russia’s gains have been limited, and the new tactic has not yielded any major operational breakthroughs.