ISW: Russia forces wounded troops back into combat

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on 31 October reported allegations against Russian military command for redeploying wounded personnel to the frontlines in Ukraine, underscoring issues in the treatment of Russian veterans. The report suggests that Moscow relies on “meat” assaults led by infantry, leading to substantial Russian casualties, particularly in the Kurakhove area in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

For over a year, Russia has concentrated on seizing Ukraine-controlled areas of Donetsk Oblast, with major attacks repeatedly occurring near Pokrovsk, Selydove, and other towns. Employing repeated frontal assault tactics, Russia sustains heavy losses but continues to make gradual advances.

ISW cites a Russian milblogger and former Storm-Z instructor, reporting that the Russian command deployed injured soldiers from the 57th Motorized Rifle Regiment to Kurakhove’s frontlines. The same source claims that the Russian command has failed to provide adequate medical treatment to wounded troops, instead confining them in a “medical basement” and demanding bribes of 1.5 million rubles (about $15,459) for their release.

The command allegedly justified these actions, citing a lack of personnel to sustain its offensive operations. The milblogger indicated that while Russian authorities responded to these complaints by transferring some injured soldiers to hospitals and shutting down this particular “medical basement,” such detention practices reportedly continue among other Russian units, including the 109th Rifle Regiment, stationed in Toretsk.

According to the ISW report, injured Russian soldiers from other units are facing similar treatment, being held in makeshift detention spaces and pressured to return to combat zones due to Russia’s reliance on high-casualty frontal assaults to keep up the tempo on Ukraine’s frontlines.

In a meeting with Russian government officials on 31 October, Putin reportedly discussed his interaction with disabled veterans, who he claimed were satisfied with their government benefits.

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