02 Dec: Mutiny! Thousands of Russians Abandon Positions in Kurakhove. - Reporting from Ukraine [View all]

Today there are a lot of interesting updates from the Kurakhove direction.

Here, in their relentless push to advance in Kurakhove, Russian generals have imposed a strategy of unyielding assaults, disregarding the devastating human cost. This brutal approach has reached the boiling point and finally crushed the morale of Russian troops, leading to mass desertions that are now spreading uncontrollably through the entire region.

As Kurakhove proved to be a tough place to achieve a penetration, Russian forces have intensified their focus on a flanking operation targeting the southern approach to Kurakhove. Using the village of Dalne as a staging ground, Russian commanders have devised a plan involving platoon-sized mechanized assaults, typically with three to four BTR or BMP armored vehicles. These vehicles transport stormtroopers into treelines considered tactically significant before advancing toward Kurakhove itself. The stated objective is to secure these positions and create conditions for semi-encircling Kurakhove from the south and east. However, the reality on the ground paints a picture of chaos and desperation rather than coherent strategy.

The assaults demonstrate a blatant disregard for human life. Combat footage shows Russian forces repeatedly sent across open fields laden with landmines. In one sequence, a BMP strikes an anti-tank mine, disabling the vehicle and forcing its occupants to dismount into a death trap. Exposed and disorganized, the dismounted troops scramble for cover only to face relentless attacks from Ukrainian drones, which drop grenades with lethal precision. Survivors often seek refuge in nearby treelines, but these areas are under constant drone surveillance and are quickly targeted by Ukrainian demolition teams.

These futile assaults highlight the absence of a rational operational goal. Russian generals appear to prioritize advancing at any cost, regardless of the overwhelming evidence that such efforts are doomed. The treelines that Russian forces aim to secure offer no substantial tactical value beyond being the next arbitrary objective. Ukrainian forces, recognizing this irrationality, have strategically minimized their presence in these areas, relying instead on drones, mines, and artillery to exact a heavy toll without engaging in costly direct confrontations.

Even when Russian forces attempt to adapt, their efforts border on absurdity. Frustrated by their inability to make progress, Russian commanders ordered an amphibious operation across the Kurakhove reservoir, assuming the Ukrainian positions along the coastline were lightly defended. Soldiers equipped with rubber boats prepared for the crossing under the cover of darkness. However, Ukrainian drones with thermal imaging detected the group as they assembled, and precision strikes obliterated the assault force before it could even launch. The operation, like so many others, failed before it began, leaving piles of bodies and shattered equipment as the only result.

This cycle of hopeless attacks has devastated Russian morale. Soldiers on the ground are acutely aware of the futility of their missions. Survivors recount being sent into "meat assaults" with no meaningful chance of success, only to be slaughtered by mines, drones, and artillery. The Russian Southern and Eastern Military Districts that are responsible for the Kurakhove direction have suffered mass desertions, with reportedly thousands of soldiers abandoning their posts in this region alone. Interviews with deserters reveal a shared sense of hopelessness and betrayal: many complain about broken promises of payment, being sent into combat while ill, and the general indifference of their commanders to their survival.

The desertions have created a cascading effect, further weakening the Russian ability to sustain assaults. With fewer troops available and the remaining forces demoralized, the intensity of Russian attacks has significantly diminished. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have capitalized on this breakdown, stabilizing the frontlines and continuing to inflict heavy losses on disorganized Russian units.

Overall, the situation in Kurakhove epitomizes the larger strategic failure of the Russian military command. The obsessive focus on advancing at any cost, combined with a callous disregard for the lives of their own soldiers, has rendered their operations not only ineffective but counterproductive. As Russian forces bleed out in senseless attacks, the Russian offensive is reaching it's culmination point every hour.