Preston, this is incredible. I am so excited that you have partnered with this group! I was in Kyiv at the truck handover in August, and it was the most amazing experience.
You're full of shyt. None of this is true. Typical slava ukraini/military industrial complex bootlicking propagandist --- either lying or just completely clueless
As a retired career Marine the concept of “disposable forces” sent in as a routine matter to catch bullets blows my mind. How do you get any kind of loyalty? You don’t. You only have compliance via the threat of violence.
On a related Note, those heavy losses also lead to brain loss of trained and experienced soldiers, leading to higher losses, leading to demand for more Expendables. A vicious cycle.
It's funny you say that coming from a branch in the military regularly used as disposable cannon fodder for other branches. Looking at some of the cold war doctrines you had entire divisions specifically positioned to be cannon fodder and do little more than delay. Just because they don't explicitaly state something doesn't mean it isn't true.
Unofficial penal battalions were common in Vietnam once regular Americans (dealing with w*r fatigue since 1939) wanted no part in the illegal conflict. We were so desperate for new manpower due to high causalities (intentionally underestimated by about 275%), draft dodging and desertions that McNamara's "Misfits" had to be unleashed.
No that's not what zeroing means. Zeroing is an execution. Basically if you're sent to a first line assault troop and you, for example, choose to refuse, or idk, you're caught criticising your CO being constantly blackout drunk... Or whatever else, that's when you get zeroed.
I'd love to say with confidence that we're better than this but it's hard not to bring up WW1. I think in the face of an existential war, most European nations would also rely primarily on poorly trained conscripts.
@@JaKingScomezThat’s an absolute lie. There absolutely were assaults like that this year and even Russian reporters were saying it and approving of it.
This is just hearsay, but Russian and Belarusian friends told me how they tried to deal with dangerous convicts, that wanted to return to civilian life, instead joining the Wagner group as a normal soldier. When Prigozhin was still alive, if Wagner superiors believed the convict could not turn off the “murder switch” (AKA the convict was an innate sadistic psychopath), then the next time the convict was sent out to draw fire from the Ukrainian machine gun nest, the Russian convict would “accidentally” be killed by Russian artillery.
I rather think that they offered them a contract for their better forces, sadistic psychopaths make great elite forces. They struggle in civilian life but in war they are very useful.
People who chose to be there will always fight better than those who were forced to be there. Russian propaganda works very well and with Bakhmut and Avdiivka victories on their side it is very easy to recruit an eager fighter. Russians are still very deep in the USSR victory. Giving some guy a very well rewarded opportunity to fight in a huge war, which the government has 100% guaranteed it will win, is huge incentive. I was born in the Baltic states, we have a good view of the Russian mindset, their culture through media etc.
@@Seth9809 All the political prisoners? How many "political" prisoners were sitting in Russian jails prior to this war? Could Great Britain not host a way more effective army with their political prisoners?
I read the Russians are trying to pass off North Koreans as people from some of Russia's remote Oblasts because they have similar features to Koreans. Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode trying to pass off Dominicans as Cubans. Ukraine has actually captured North Koreans in the battle space.
@@voroboosherthanks for being wrong again vladbot from STP - when are you volunteering cow ard or you going to let NK and the TikTok army fight for your 3-day SMO 😂
Being a soldier that is considered entirely expendable is an awful fate indeed. If I hadnt believed my commanders would have done everything they could to keep us alive I would have had 0 morale. But employing criminals who are not a dangerous risk to your society but looking to reduce their sentences isnt a bad source of manpower in a pinch.
12:58 that’s crazy to think about. Imagine this in the US. A battalion scheduled to attack in a few days is assigned a company of former prisoners from some Texas prison, and that Battalion commander is told to use that penal company as a probing element broken down into fireteams.
@@jameshauf9044 what do you even mean by this comment. Are you just stating the obvious, or are you saying this as a justification for using prisoners in this manner?
ALL troops are disposable. Just like ALL corporate employees are replaceable. Doesn't matter what country or government you are talking about. It's just True.
Wrong, not ALL. In both corp and army, if you're disposable, it just means your value is only your hands and feet. The Army dont want to lose any fighter pilots. Corp dont want to lose high performers to their rival company. That's why value is king everywhere. Make them dont want to lose you, thats your responsibility to yourselves.
@@koncreate8744 but if you have to spend some fighter pilots to win, you spend the fighter pilots. Your point doesn't disprove my point. It simply points out that some people have higher value than others. Which is true. But if you need to spend some fighter pilots or generals to win, you spend whatever is necessary to win. You don't decide to lose because you just can't bring yourself to spend the lives of generals or fighter pilots.
@@woodsghost9088 Giving up on a valuable human source in order to secure a goal is taking a risk. Disposable means the only value of the resource is being "disposed of", it is literally in the name. You don't know what disposable means. Or worse, you know it but it doesn't fit the narrative you want to sell.
Can't help but be reminded of the Boer Wars. Despite being numerically outnumbered, the Boer put up one hell of a fight; but eventually lost to attrition tactics.
@@scatmanz2496 ah no not quite so simple. The Zulus hated the English. Most of the boer republics land was bought or gifted after helping the local tribes sort out disputes. The english promised not land owning black men land if they supported the fought with the english. None of them got said land.
@@johanneslinnemann6660 You're right, its insane to have that mentality in 2024. Its a barbaric and almost medieval in ways. I can't wrap my head around knowing your life is used as bait. Where would you find honour in that?
If you are in a Russian prison, your life is essentially over. Eating gruel in cold cells with a prison hierarchy (Thieves) probably makes life more miserable for most. If you get out, society dismisses you. To be free for a bit, to see the trees and the air may be worth it to them.
@@tomnps1671 I can see that it's an escape for some. However, I have a feeling the majority of prison conscripts do not finish their contract. Essentially a death sentence. I can also understand taking a risk of potential death is worth it when your prison sentence is decades long. I guess its how much of a gambling man you're.
There's not much about the Koreans yet, a lot of the reporting is just preemptive warnings about potential future developments being reported as if shit's already going on. I mean the nk soldiers had already been deployed in combat roles a year ago to man the NK systems which Russians simply can't operate, but the whole 200k infantrymen was very much an info op. So far information confirmed by, for example, South Korean intelligence speaks about preparation to send some soldiers to Tuva and Buryatia to train and receive Russian identities, and the first batch is said to be not 200k but 200 people. They also 100% do not speak Russian and we don't know what for or when they can be actually utilised. My bet is honestly on leaving them in the east for now so they can be trained by skeleton crews and cover that flank of Russia (which is basically their colonies because that's what they are not just objectively but also in Russian strategists' publications lol) , so that the Russian units from the east can be sent westward in full, instead of drip-feeding the war effort the way they have been for the last two years.
Sure...Ukraine 5 waves of forced mobilization and 6th on its way...Also theres a proposal to a Verkhovna Rada to allow forced mobilization of 18-25 y.o men...its OBVIOUS that attrition goes in Ukraines favor😂😂😂
what Preston did not mention is that even the Russians are running low on convicts so much they had to close down many prisons all over Russia now what they are using as disposable infantry are foreign volunteers from India, Africa, Nepal Cuba etc. these are the new Storm Z however due to recent media focus on them, they are also running low so now the new Storm Z units purpotedly are the North Koreans. we shall see..
did Russia running out troops as media say on Feb 2023 ? are now Russia running out troops again ? OMG 2025 Russia running out troops again and Kursk offensive already get kick out and whole eastern front has been taken by Russian
@@Rweda255russia was running out of troops. They just had to keep on finding different short methods to alleviate the problems. Examples here: Summer of 2022: cannibalizing of training units during the Battle of Sievierodonetsk Partial Mobilization of the Autumn of 2022 as a result of the setbacks of the Kharkiv Counter Offensive Giving contracts to violent prisoners for Bahkmut Coercion of foreign citizens of Asian and African countries to sign contracts And now we are seeing regular North Korean military, in likely the thousands, that will eventually be sent to at least towards the border areas. Shoigu asking for a 2nd mobilization earlier this year before being reassigned A military that isn’t “running out” wouldn’t be doing these actions. Yes, we will never see russia “run out of troops” but they will always be not enough to continue it long term. russia will keep on finding solutions for manpower but at a cost.
По поводу потерь - 18 октября был очередной обмен военнопленных, 93 русских солдата на 93 украинских солдата, бойцы вернулись домой из плена. Но был еще и обмен тел погибших воинов - арабы из Эмиратов, кто этим занимаются, обнародовали цифры: украинцы передали тела 89 убитых русских солдат, русские передали 501 тел убитых украинских солдат. Масштаб понятен? На одного убитого русского солдата почти шесть убитых украинцев и натовцев. Это не фейк, можете проверить.
He's trying to hustle donations like all the other war-tourist scammers. And why does the image of the dude at 17:18 look like that American trans guy from Las Vegas who Kiev kicked out of the country? "Sarah"-something 🤣
@@cravenmoorehead5657 no it's not, front is moving more and more for last 2 months... Ukr commanders now acknowledge that front has broken and they are in organized retreat... Watch the news from the other side too, you'll get a better picture, if you want to see the truth.
Remember Napoleon burn down Moscow the Russians did not give up. The Third Reich had millions of Russian prisoners and made it to the Volga river still the Russians did not give up. How can you hope they will give up this time?
Нефть из США - это около 70% всей помощи советской стороне. По мелочи были - джипы, консервы, одежда и обмундирование. Не надо забывать американцы помогали британцам и сами вели тяжелую войну с Японией. Короче, помощь для советской армии была существенной опорой, но не основой. Без помощи союзников война в СССР затянулась бы и немцы убили бы больше гражданских (на оккупированной территории погибло более 16 миллионов обычных советских граждан: русских, украинцев, белоруссов, евреев... ). Короче. Не надо переоценивать мощь Америки на тот момент, хотя помощь спасла несколько миллионов жизней граждан СССР. Советский Союзе все равно как минимум освободил бы свою землю самостоятельно. @@ChucksSEADnDEAD
Good information. You are the ONLY guy that i know on youtube, that has specified that aspect of superior numbers: wear down of the defenders by constant presure, not necesarily strong presure.
Wagner had losses because they are a merc group and don't have full combined-arms. Also there was a shell shortage. Now that their tactics have been consumed by the regular army losses are far more manageable than Bakmut days.
They had tanks, artillery and a few Su-25s. The Russian army also accused Wagner of requesting so many shells the rest of the Russian army was suffering because of it.
Wagner never fought alone. Marines and airborne forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and simple motorized infantry always helped - at least they held the flanks and provided fire support. Actually, just like the VKS. Wagner was at the forefront of the assault on the same Bakhmut - but full fire support was given to them by the Ministry of Defense. In Bakhmut and Masse, lancets and a large number of shells were used - which was not the case in other sectors of the front at the same time. It was only later that Prigozhin had problems with Shoigu after Bakhmut, or rather almost at the end, and they complained that they were not given enough shells - although it seems they were given more than ordinary army units - but the main batch was in Bakhmut. Do not forget that the Wagner PMCs are essentially Putin's personal guard, he allowed and supervised them - another thing is that the military did not like it - hence the problems with the Wagner rebellion. Of course, it is ridiculous to listen about consumables, given that mobilization has been going on in Ukraine for three years without ceasing. When there is no one in Russia. There are very few prisoners in Russia. Only 500,000 approximately. Most of them are simply not suitable for this - they take only those who are combat-ready and those who have been convicted on relatively light charges. In Wagner's best days, they numbered no more than 40,000 people. These are not meat waves or consumables. These are full-fledged stormtroopers - highly paid and motivated. And the fact that the war is now going on with light infantry and not tank wedges, so it's because of drones. It's safer on your feet. Nowadays, they even do assaults on motorcycles. Armor will not save you from FPV drones. So now it's either speed or stealth that saves you.
Enemy at the Gates is not a documentary. It's a sensationalized piece of hollywood propaganda. Also John Rambo did not exist and Marcus Luttrell aggrandized his unit who were wiped out by 8-12 TB fighters who were fighting uphill. not the 100 fighters that Luttrell claimed existed. Both the local villagers and a US Navy investigation confirmed Luttrell lied in the book "Lone Survivor". And the movie of the same name was yet another DoD funded hollywood military propaganda film just like like Black Hawk Down, Zero Dark Thirty, 13 Hours... And who can forget of "Act of Valor". It was literally a US Navy recruitment short film turned into a full fledged feature film.
I'm sorry if what I will ask was already answered but when you said that during the Bakmut battle the casualty ratio was 1:4 in favour to Ukraine, were talking about wounded and kia right? Bc according to some reports Ukraine suffered 10k kia and incapacitated casualties while the Russians suffered 20k kia, essentially 1:2 casualty rate in favour to Ukraine but still only half of what was being reported. Just want to be sure that's it
Ukrainians say that the Russians outnumber them in artillery by 1 to 14. Russia has a huge number of missiles that Kiev does not have. Aviation and helicopters constantly iron Ukrainians. And do you believe in a 1 to 4 loss? Yes, there were heavy battles near Bakhmut - but hardly any losses, even 1-1, no one will say - but most likely the Ukrainians suffered more losses. If Wagner's PMCs had lost 20,000 people there, it would have simply ceased to exist. Because 40,000 is the maximum they had - 20,000 dead is another 140,000 wounded.. In short, there have simply never been so many Wagners...
@@lettheflamestakeover7374 it’s a joke. i’m joking that in the recent war, russian training standards have dropped so low now that even i, who’s never served the military, now can be a russian spec ops
@@lettheflamestakeover7374 well sarcasm is a thing, and partially it is true. story after story of russian conscripts getting sent to the front after firing 3 magazines of ammo and that’s basically it, i’m just taking the facts and adding a bit more absurdity to them, hence a joke
It’s worth remembering the conversion algebra, western platoons are usually 39-74, in Russia platoons are 22 men, company sized formations about 76 men It is slightly easier to train
Half of the video is like „Somebody heard from a friend, that heard from other friend… so we can make the conclusion „ , but the comments are even better!
Because it is fake news, it is impossible for a force with 10x firepower to have more casualties. Case in point: invasion of Iraq. Attacker don't suffer 3 to 1 or even 1 to 1 casualties due to the overwhelming firepower.
Is there not a simple explanation for why the situation is so bad for them? From the very beginning Ukraine was overwhelmingly outmanned and outgunned. The main factor behind Ukraine’s extended resistance is foreign aid, but that doesn’t increase their manpower. The real question you should be asking is this: If Ukraine is taking such heavy casualties, then through 3 years of war why has Russia only made minimal gains and aren’t steamrolling their way to Kyiv right now?
@eldestmochi913 Cause Donbas is heavily fortified and Russian trying to keep their casualties down. Else how could a 600k forces attackers defeating a 700k defenders.
@@eldestmochi913 It's not the foreign aid. Russia was literally 1 mile from the western border of Kiev, 2 miles from the northwest and northern border skirting the Dnipro River. That's when the negotiations in Belarus initiated, but Boris Johnson threw a wrench in it to continue fighting. So what did Russia do? They pulled back and focused on protecting eastern Ukrainians (who have been holding Kiev at bay since 2014) and let Kiev play offense for the longest time. Why? Because the more the west kept throwing "wonder weapons," the more they would drain their own resources. But on the west side, it looked more like R&D as this is the first time they've used their weapons in a real conflict against a real peer with real technology. To put it more bluntly, the west used Ukraine more like a testing ground with Ukrainians as cannon fodder. And in this test, the US/Western Europe failed miserably. Who would have thought strapping an RPG warhead/hand grenade to a DJI drone would be the most cost-effective way to destroy/incapacitate an Abrams? Russia is playing the long game. The more Zelensky begs, the more the west has to spend to keep face, even if it means tanking their own economy to stave off the embarrassment they created themselves.
С начала войны в российскую армию было завербовано около 35 тысяч заключенных, плюс около 100 тысяч тех кто был на свободе, но хотел снять судимость. Плюс, сходную тактику в Бахмуте использовали и украинцы и натовцы, именно поэтому эту битву и прозвали "бахмутская мясорубка". Не надо забывать Россия воюет с нато. С тех пор натовцы и русские в основном используют тактику малых групп, именно поэтому война приняла такой затяжной характер. И да, по требованию нато власти Украины сделали ставку на насильственную мобилизацию (90% мужчин и 40% женщин выезд из Украины закрыт). Вопрос времени, когда на Украине потащат на войну 17 летних парней. Ну и женщин, конечно. У меня родня в Запорожье, Одессе и Киеве - мы из России переслали 7 тысяч $ через Турцию в Германию для выкупа племянников. Хотя мой брат был профессиональным спортсменом и у него были деньги, но их не хватило. Слава Богу, мальчишки сейчас в Германии. В России границы открыты для всех. В России больше половины мобилизованных в 2022 уже вернулись домой. Русская армия на 90% состоит из добровольцев.
This is an attritional war and high casualties are not a "Russian phenomenon". The Brits had 60 000 casualties in the Battle of Somme and this just on the first day.
The Battle of Verdun was fought by French Army soldiers. I think you mean the Battle of the Somme. The British launched that Offensive in response to German attacks on Verdun, and had 60k casualties.
Hey Preston, around 10:00 there's a tiny line at the bottom of the frame where we can see your body... didn't move the overlaying footage down far enough 😂
I belive that soldiers on both sides are disposable. The only difference is that ukrainian soldier gets nothing and his family only gets report if he was kia, on the other hand russian soldier gets paid(for their standards alot) and his family gets bennefits if he is kia.
One thing no one talks about is Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu being replaced by Andrei Belousov seemed to have a huge impact on efficiency as well. Like night and day for Russia with him in the role as Minster of Defense.
It has nothing to do with the Minster of Defense. The vast majority (~80%) 1of the ground operations have been carried out by Wagner, DPR, LPR and other local militia groups (supplied with weapons and vehicles by RU) with minimal RU MoD advisors, MPs and engineers. Since early 2024, RU has sent in actual RU infantry (namely the Marines and VDV) to support the offensive in the Donbass. Avdeevka was the beginning of their offensive if you google the territorial losses of Kiev ~70% have happened this year alone. This has been a common theme throughout the conflict. RU rolls in and takes a bunch of territory to allow the DPR and LPR to reconstitute, then they pull out and Ukr starts gaining back some but not all of that lost territory, then rinse and repeat. Putin said in his initial address this would be a protracted battle of attrition not a sprint. He is allowing the locals of Ukr (on both sides) to grind each other down until Kiev decides to act in their best interests and end their role of NATO cannon fodder.
@@joebenson528 talking about the logistics. Current, not past. If you don’t see the improvement then you must not follow. They have been running like a well oiled machine logistically ever since the switch. Wagner gets most its gear from the military as well. Although they are not even a factor anymore, so not sure why you think they are relevant.
@CORMACtheCRUEL I'm not arguing whether or not logistics have improved. What I'm saying is that the reason they improved is because the RU MoD since 2024 has been running the show for the first time during the entire 2014-present civil conflict instead of using the Donbass militias as the primary ground forces. That's why Ukr has been getting routed across the entire front since February 2024 and lost 4 of 6 remaining strongholds in the Donbass (Kramatorsk [Controlled by the US CAG and Polish SOF/PDK detatchments] and Kraken's Sloviansk FOB are the last standing). Wagner was responsible for surrounding the (tracked by 45th Guards Orlan-10 drone operators) Kursk incursion. They are still relevant in the conflict. They operate in a territorial role within Russia proper alongside the Kadyrovites (ironically, the same unit that surrounded the "Wagner coup" in Rostov).
Thank you so much, sir, for your great reporting that we're not getting anywhere else. You're great, and we're lucky to have you! Now, don't get a big head. LOL
A little correction: there are no convict units in Ukraine. The former convicts are dispersed among the general population of the army. It is better this way.
0:27-0:40 NO better deal bcuz then they'll just be admitted in the same position. Think about they go home, not back to jail, however, they'll be re-assigned just like everyone else. Now that they're free, they're considered applicable to be treated like the rest. Meaning: they'll be in this war zone until it's over as well too.
He already did. To give you a rundown, it’s kinda different on both why they’re using them, and how they’re using them. Russia doesn’t NEED to recruit convicts to sustain their forces, but they use them anyways because losing a convict soldier is better than losing a volunteer contraktnik. Whereas Ukraine needs them because Ukraine has nowhere near the population of Russia, and needs more sources of manpower to sustain their forces. Russia uses their convict soldiers as disposable cannon fodder, using them like supporting forces that are simply meant to constantly grind down the enemy at high cost to themselves. Whereas the convicts in Ukraine were actually given heavy equipment, professional training, and veteran leadership. Intending them to be used as regular professional forces.
@@dangersnail5839That’s misinformation. Ukraine doesn’t “need” to use convicts either. They choose to. They still haven’t drafted a single person younger than 25. There is also ZERO evidence on the equipment and training the convicts are given. You’ve made that up. I doubt anyone will trust them to serve alongside them, with a weapon. My guess is that they’re being used primarily in support functions, but I also don’t know for sure. Neither do you.
14:26 "real training on the battlefield under fire", this is entirely consistent with what local proxy leaders like Strelkov have said about their conscripts, the hope that the survivors would pick up what they need to know during their time on the line (as discussed by Perun).
Standard attritional warfare doctrine and how the Russian army is structured. This structure suits a protected war, unlike NATO doctrine that relies upon highly trained NCOs to permit the application of tactics that are used. As soon as that cadre of troops disappears, then those armed are in trouble because it takes years to get proficient to that standard.
Every army throughout time considers troops as more or less disposable. Some are more valued than others. But if mission success demands a sacrifice...
Not really. For example, most western armies, even on a company level attack, considers the death of a single soldier a major event that requires serious reconsideration on the operation. For example, at the height of the Afghanistan war, the United States was losing roughly below one soldier every day. And the US Army considered it to be a military crisis. And you could argue that this value of life placed on the soldiers makes western armies weaker, but it also means that due to the western emphasis on conservation of strength, western forces would last longer during a high intensity armed conflict.
@@dangersnail5839 Good point. The US has lost 7,080 troops since the start of the GWOT in 2001. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of deaths for Ukraine and Russia.
@@yellowtunes2756 Yes yes, farmers with Toyotas, T-55s, BMP-1s, BTR-60s, MANPADS, and ATGMs. Soviets fought against the afghans too, and the afghans were even more poorly equipped back then. And lost 4x as many in combat as the US did.
Convicts absolutely got the best deal. They get a free card by going to Ukraine then come back home free to do absolutely anything they want. The latest laws allow criminals to bypass prison altogether by going to Ukraine. So basically, you can do whatever you want, literally, over and over again. And if you have money, you can go to Ukraine "on paper" so to speak
They get sent straight to the front with little to no training, they are lied to about money and freedom after deployment, they are sent in to suicide mission after suicide mission, and the penal units can be refused medical treatment, I can hardly say that's a good deal...
That’s if you survive the hundreds of meat waves you have to go through. 99%+ don’t survive these meatwaves. They’re expected to die and not collect the money.
The catch is you have to be rich and if your rich enough to buy your way out of service, there probably committing white collar crimes like embezzling and you'd bribe your way out befoew your conscription paper work was even processed 😂😂 the catch 22 is for murders an rapist, they may have there sentence voided but once there service is up in a penal unit, there sent a conscription notice the same day because there now release as free citizen, that are eligible for conscription. 😂😂
What is enormous they did unthinkable thing. To this day soldiers were grouped to have higher morale and fire effectivness. Especially Russians always needed oficer supervision. And now they send 2-5 team to fight alone. And not for scouts or sof, but for low quality infantry. This is really innovative on a full blown battlefield.
What you refer to as disposable troops is actually called "skirmishers" in military nomenclature. Skirmishers were "invented" inside the envelope of organised, battalion sized infantry in the new organisation of the French, Napoleonic military structure. The skirmishers were used as diversion and in shaping operations to allow line infantry to operate in its traditional firing lines by targeting officers, supply routes,ambushes and generally by being a nuisance for the opposing infantry. The concept died away after the Napoleonic Wars but returned a year or so into the trench wars of WW1 and was expanded and refined into the German storm troops. The concept was further developed during the inter war period and evolved into commando units and the early special forces. At the end of WW2, line infantry essentially ceased to exist and all took on aspects of skirmishing units. Post WW2, in the era of peacekeeping operations and insurgent wars, skirmishing again fell out of favour and was supplanted by manoeuvre warfare, heavily relying on armour as the assault forces. Now, with the re-emergence of trench warfare in Ukraine, it has come full circle and skirmishers are again ruling the battlefield.
They're not skirmishers. They're not diversion. They're assaulters that deploy in waves. Some waves have diggers who carry entrenching tools to build hasty fighting position. They're not expected to use them. It's for the next assault. Some waves are "mules" who carry ammunition and supplies to these fighting positions. So what you get is a creeping advance that covers terrain in the open at the cost of troops. So the lower skilled men go first.
@@zedeyejoe Do you not think officers ordering recon by fire think there are acceptable losses? Also, NATO has not fought an attritional war. Nor a trench war.
@@danielallan8061 In the Russian army you do what you are told, end of. As Stalin said: 'It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Soviet army'. But attacks regardless of losses are not smart. I don't think NATO has ever fought any fought any sort of war. But the troops of its countries have, many of them. You are right the West does not fight attritional wars, they are hard, brutal and fast. Air power is used to a great extent. Air power is not something Ukraine has not had access to. Hopefully the F16s will change that. They have proved to be highly effective in other wars.
Oh, I forgot, Russia doesn't only use convicts/deserters and whatnot, it's people who are only suspected of crimes as well, and on top of that debtors and such are also shipped to storm. Sometimes even random conscripts end up there (I know of two specific cases of the last one, with one being tricked into volunteering instead of being conscripted, which is a common tactic).
I disagree with Kaufman's assessment that these tactics were effective. "Effective" would be taking Bakhmut in a matter of days or weeks. The fact that they could only gain a block of the city in that time with horrible losses shows how ineffective these tactics were. Ukraine was happy to wear down Russian/Wagner forces in such a lopsided meat-grinder. The main effect was ultimately the Wagner mutiny, which was the beginning of the end for Russia as a state (or at the very least Putin). The affect on Russia's fighting effort was worse: it settled their expectations as low as they can go. Commanders saw that meat-assault tactics could gain a pace of advance that was acceptable to the Kremlin. They also realized that they could send their forces to die and embezzle their pay. So the Russian army oriented itself to supporting these failing tactics because they don't need to care about actually winning.
@@gardnert1 people underestimate the amount of ressources Ukraine spent to hold on to bakhmut indefinitely, something even Ukrainians and US officials have said and criticized. People trying to portray the battle as "haha Russians can't even capture this small city in days or weeks, lol" as if Ukraine didn't sent most of it's veteran brigades to defend the city, they fought valiantly and had significant casualties so minimizing their sacrifice seems a insult to their sacrifice. People are forgetting that Ukraine did everything they could to prevent it's capture, Zelesnksy literally promised that the city would never fall that it became his motto "bakhmut holds", he even went as far as to say the results of the war are tied to Bakhmut's fate. It's crazy to hear some guy online saying bs like this while the Ukrainian soldiers on the ground talked about how Wagner was fighting well and etc...
To conclude, the Battle for Bakhmut was brutal as both sides kept throwing in more and more ressources to either defend it or capture it. And of course the winner was the side with the most air support, artillery fire power and more manpower, go figure. Saying that the Russians were so incompetent that it took they so many months is like slapping the face of the Ukrainian defenders that fought hard and nail to defend it at all cost, instead of saying "yeah it took them too many months bc we fought like hell" nope people online are saying "lol they are so incompetent that it took they so many months", and people like you is only going to down play Ukraine's cause.
I quote famous green politician of my country, who actually was eco fascist. He didnt value human life at all. He was asked how he feels about famine deaths in Africa, and why its always the poor countries who take the hardest blows. He said, he dont care who dies and where, as long as they die.
You really can't call them "disposable infantry" when western nations were the ones who redefined "Mercenary" as "Private Military Contractors." Wagner still operates under that law no difference than all the other legitimate PMCs since the invasion of Iraq.
If you were speaking German sure, but as it’s written and sounded out in English, it’s with the W. You’ll find W is used by the vast majority of folks who have studied the organization since their inception.
I wonder how effective that drone gun is. I assume it's some kind of jamming device. Also, what are the dots around the 5:00-5:45 marks? It appears to be IR related; reflections off a patch or something? It's a cluster of those dots aimed in one spot, and the speaker steps in and out of them.
Ukraine does not train soldiers for months. Only a handful actually go through extensive training. There has been many reports from Ukrainian troops saying they had only a week or two of training and were sent to the front.
Preston I’d like to see a video on what they’re paying Russian prisoners to fight what they’re paying Ukraine, prisoners to fight and what are foreign fighters being paid to fight for Ukraine ??
Thanks, pretty interesting to hear how they used those inmates in the Wagner group and how the Russian army used the same tactiics but kept the inmates in the army.
They recently had a protest in Kyiv because there are tens of thousands soldiers that are missing and they keep them as missing not to pay out to the families. Yet, no news talk about it.
@@offjofce Unless someone can provide me with a valid source, I'm going to assume that it is simply another "trust me bro, I'm an American" source. It probably comes from the RU penal battalions of WW2.
Mediazona as biased as it gets, has shown decline in Russian KIA per day, as war progresses. I would assume KIA MIA of RU troops would stay simmilar as in Bakhmut days. Internat power struggle in RU army is somthing UA troops can use, as long as it lasts. Other than that, storm tactics is better than sit and wait for drone or shell which is prefered by Ukrainian army. Dynamic troop movement rather than static. Also troop movement yields better results, than sit in trench. OK, bribing way out of front line is good strategy for Ukraine soldiers, and people. I am waiting for day Ukraine army implements combat corruption strategy. That is a must in order to fully win.
When your president checks his watch and doesn't give a crap about military deaths, I don't think Americans can comment on how expendqble someone elses forces are.
Bakhmut was a bizarre, the russians say they held on to entrench the Ukrainians and build up reserves and the uks say they where trying to waste russian lives, overall the city fell, tens of thousands died and the lines moved back to the cities behind, kramatorsk and serverodonetsk and the patter just repeats it self.
What happened to million strong Ukrainian army who has 31000 killed and still has manpower shortage and force mobilizationg 500000 conscripts and you has Russian meat wave attack or only trust me bro I'm American who always speak truth 😂😂😂
What’s so sad in the way they used exactly as ‘disposable’ never takes into account that to these husbands, sons, fathers and brothers, they were NOT disposable! Mothers and wives grieved every bit as much as regular killed troops mothers and wives. Their kids still will grow up fatherless.
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD let’s assume what you said is true What kind of threat did Iraq had against America ? Their whole military was wiped off by US Air Force They just came back from a painful 8 years of war with Iran so basically Every experienced soldier is either dead or seriously injured Wtf man use your brain for once
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
If interested in donating, here’s the link to the new fundraiser: www.help99.co/patches/preston-stewart---the-himars-commander
What's the option for Russian males? They're imprisoned if they refuse military service and then are forcibly conscripted as prisoners?
Preston, this is incredible. I am so excited that you have partnered with this group! I was in Kyiv at the truck handover in August, and it was the most amazing experience.
@@LoriKasprzak-kc7xcthey can band together and rise up against their oppressors as Ukraine is doing.
@@Schumacher73you want him sooooo bad don’t lie
You're full of shyt. None of this is true. Typical slava ukraini/military industrial complex bootlicking propagandist --- either lying or just completely clueless
As a retired career Marine the concept of “disposable forces” sent in as a routine matter to catch bullets blows my mind. How do you get any kind of loyalty? You don’t. You only have compliance via the threat of violence.
On a related Note, those heavy losses also lead to brain loss of trained and experienced soldiers, leading to higher losses, leading to demand for more Expendables. A vicious cycle.
Either fight, survive and go home. Or don't fight, survive and go back go jail.
it's a slave nation
You may not know it, but you were lad, recon by fire ring any bells?
It's funny you say that coming from a branch in the military regularly used as disposable cannon fodder for other branches.
Looking at some of the cold war doctrines you had entire divisions specifically positioned to be cannon fodder and do little more than delay.
Just because they don't explicitaly state something doesn't mean it isn't true.
Nobody gets discharged for bad conduct they're just marked as expendable. They call it getting zeroed out.
Now the term is "red flag", as in football/soccer
Unofficial penal battalions were common in Vietnam once regular Americans (dealing with w*r fatigue since 1939) wanted no part in the illegal conflict. We were so desperate for new manpower due to high causalities (intentionally underestimated by about 275%), draft dodging and desertions that McNamara's "Misfits" had to be unleashed.
No that's not what zeroing means. Zeroing is an execution. Basically if you're sent to a first line assault troop and you, for example, choose to refuse, or idk, you're caught criticising your CO being constantly blackout drunk... Or whatever else, that's when you get zeroed.
The use of disposable troops was SOP for Russia in WWII
I'd love to say with confidence that we're better than this but it's hard not to bring up WW1. I think in the face of an existential war, most European nations would also rely primarily on poorly trained conscripts.
@@JaKingScomezThat’s an absolute lie. There absolutely were assaults like that this year and even Russian reporters were saying it and approving of it.
@@afcgeo882like the -8 army rangers in Kursk?😂
@@afcgeo882I have all their names on my phone😂 👏 🇺🇸
@@afcgeo882Adams Sanchez Hernandez Johnson just to name a few😂❤ poor little Pvt. and SSGT.
This is just hearsay, but Russian and Belarusian friends told me how they tried to deal with dangerous convicts, that wanted to return to civilian life, instead joining the Wagner group as a normal soldier.
When Prigozhin was still alive, if Wagner superiors believed the convict could not turn off the “murder switch” (AKA the convict was an innate sadistic psychopath), then the next time the convict was sent out to draw fire from the Ukrainian machine gun nest, the Russian convict would “accidentally” be killed by Russian artillery.
I don't know how i should feel about that if true.
Probably the kill switch was found brocken on Prigozin himself.
Prigozin had standards?🤨
🤔…. Yea. Talking to prison guards, there is a code among prisoners. Apparently even thugs have some standards.
I rather think that they offered them a contract for their better forces, sadistic psychopaths make great elite forces.
They struggle in civilian life but in war they are very useful.
This guy is just coping due to the victory russia is achieving in the frontline, he don't have anything to talk about.
People who chose to be there will always fight better than those who were forced to be there.
Russian propaganda works very well and with Bakhmut and Avdiivka victories on their side it is very easy to recruit an eager fighter.
Russians are still very deep in the USSR victory. Giving some guy a very well rewarded opportunity to fight in a huge war, which the government has 100% guaranteed it will win, is huge incentive.
I was born in the Baltic states, we have a good view of the Russian mindset, their culture through media etc.
well depends, dont see lots of young people mostly 40+ alcoholics, convicted and drug addicts.
Это был смешной в своей глупости пост))
@@РоманР.Жexplain?
Lol Implying Russians have minds?
@@РоманР.Жit's so true it's even funny
Also, now Russia has less convicts to pay for. Decimated the worst of their society for a win in battle. Ruthless yet effective
Considering all the political prisoners... Are you sure?
@@Seth9809
All the political prisoners? How many "political" prisoners were sitting in Russian jails prior to this war?
Could Great Britain not host a way more effective army with their political prisoners?
@@Seth9809 Political prisoners most probably didn't volunteer to join Wagner? I mean, it's just common sense.
@@pwrm8721.....a lot. Russia is a full blown Autocracy. They were imprisoning people for holding up blank pieces of paper in front of red square.
I bet they are making more future convicts during this war….
I read the Russians are trying to pass off North Koreans as people from some of Russia's remote Oblasts because they have similar features to Koreans. Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode trying to pass off Dominicans as Cubans. Ukraine has actually captured North Koreans in the battle space.
People all around the world fight as mercenaries on Ua side so why not 😅
They actually do share a border crazy enough
Buryatia is where you’re thinking
@@voroboosherthanks for being wrong again vladbot from STP - when are you volunteering cow ard or you going to let NK and the TikTok army fight for your 3-day SMO 😂
They volunteer. These North Koreans clearly aren't volunteering.@@voroboosher
Being a soldier that is considered entirely expendable is an awful fate indeed. If I hadnt believed my commanders would have done everything they could to keep us alive I would have had 0 morale. But employing criminals who are not a dangerous risk to your society but looking to reduce their sentences isnt a bad source of manpower in a pinch.
The American army ALWAYS fights with someone else's hands. Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and everywhere else, the Americans first send local mercenaries.
12:58 that’s crazy to think about.
Imagine this in the US.
A battalion scheduled to attack in a few days is assigned a company of former prisoners from some Texas prison, and that Battalion commander is told to use that penal company as a probing element broken down into fireteams.
Plenty of folks in us prisons...
@@jameshauf9044 what do you even mean by this comment. Are you just stating the obvious, or are you saying this as a justification for using prisoners in this manner?
Plenty of people in Prisons
Imagine US fighting and winning vs somehow strong army
Ukraine does it too.
ALL troops are disposable. Just like ALL corporate employees are replaceable.
Doesn't matter what country or government you are talking about. It's just True.
Words.
Да , не бывает не заменимых людей
Wrong, not ALL. In both corp and army, if you're disposable, it just means your value is only your hands and feet.
The Army dont want to lose any fighter pilots. Corp dont want to lose high performers to their rival company.
That's why value is king everywhere. Make them dont want to lose you, thats your responsibility to yourselves.
@@koncreate8744 but if you have to spend some fighter pilots to win, you spend the fighter pilots.
Your point doesn't disprove my point. It simply points out that some people have higher value than others. Which is true.
But if you need to spend some fighter pilots or generals to win, you spend whatever is necessary to win. You don't decide to lose because you just can't bring yourself to spend the lives of generals or fighter pilots.
@@woodsghost9088 Giving up on a valuable human source in order to secure a goal is taking a risk. Disposable means the only value of the resource is being "disposed of", it is literally in the name.
You don't know what disposable means. Or worse, you know it but it doesn't fit the narrative you want to sell.
Can't help but be reminded of the Boer Wars. Despite being numerically outnumbered, the Boer put up one hell of a fight; but eventually lost to attrition tactics.
Ja nee ongelukkig het ons, ons geveg teen die Britse koloniale magte verloor
@@danielstruwig3078 ...easy for you to say. 🥸
Because the Africans helped the British fight the Boars at that time.. the Africans see the Boars as the invaders.
@@scatmanz2496 ah no not quite so simple. The Zulus hated the English. Most of the boer republics land was bought or gifted after helping the local tribes sort out disputes. The english promised not land owning black men land if they supported the fought with the english. None of them got said land.
Imagine being so worthless your life is used as bait. Thats rough
What I find even crazier is the fact that there are supporters of russia who cheer for these kind of tactics.
@@johanneslinnemann6660 You're right, its insane to have that mentality in 2024. Its a barbaric and almost medieval in ways. I can't wrap my head around knowing your life is used as bait. Where would you find honour in that?
If you are in a Russian prison, your life is essentially over. Eating gruel in cold cells with a prison hierarchy (Thieves) probably makes life more miserable for most. If you get out, society dismisses you. To be free for a bit, to see the trees and the air may be worth it to them.
@@tomnps1671 I can see that it's an escape for some. However, I have a feeling the majority of prison conscripts do not finish their contract. Essentially a death sentence. I can also understand taking a risk of potential death is worth it when your prison sentence is decades long. I guess its how much of a gambling man you're.
Not bait, they are essentially like marine raiders. Wagner units had many former Spetsnaz as well
I have been waiting for your coverage in what's happening in Ukraine. Hope you will cover about the North Koreans there too.
Holding on the NK soldier story for now. Feels very rumor based at the moment. Hopefully we get some pictures or videos soon to serve as confirmation
Zelensky was the first who said about NK soldiers fighting for Russia, you must believe him(no)
"I hear is just a rumor"
10k north Koreans fighting for the russians now
@PrestonStewart that's because it's not based on reality. It's another propaganda talking piece from Ukraine.
There's not much about the Koreans yet, a lot of the reporting is just preemptive warnings about potential future developments being reported as if shit's already going on.
I mean the nk soldiers had already been deployed in combat roles a year ago to man the NK systems which Russians simply can't operate, but the whole 200k infantrymen was very much an info op. So far information confirmed by, for example, South Korean intelligence speaks about preparation to send some soldiers to Tuva and Buryatia to train and receive Russian identities, and the first batch is said to be not 200k but 200 people. They also 100% do not speak Russian and we don't know what for or when they can be actually utilised.
My bet is honestly on leaving them in the east for now so they can be trained by skeleton crews and cover that flank of Russia (which is basically their colonies because that's what they are not just objectively but also in Russian strategists' publications lol) , so that the Russian units from the east can be sent westward in full, instead of drip-feeding the war effort the way they have been for the last two years.
Sure...Ukraine 5 waves of forced mobilization and 6th on its way...Also theres a proposal to a Verkhovna Rada to allow forced mobilization of 18-25 y.o men...its OBVIOUS that attrition goes in Ukraines favor😂😂😂
what Preston did not mention is that even the Russians are running low on convicts so much they had to close down many prisons all over Russia now what they are using as disposable infantry are foreign volunteers from India, Africa, Nepal Cuba etc. these are the new Storm Z however due to recent media focus on them, they are also running low so now the new Storm Z units purpotedly are the North Koreans. we shall see..
@@kamilhorvat8290 did he?
Yeah, I bet the Russian screws didn't think for a moment they would be meat on the front lines.
did Russia running out troops as media say on Feb 2023 ?
are now Russia running out troops again ?
OMG
2025 Russia running out troops again and Kursk offensive already get kick out and whole eastern front has been taken by Russian
@@Rweda255russia was running out of troops. They just had to keep on finding different short methods to alleviate the problems. Examples here:
Summer of 2022: cannibalizing of training units during the Battle of Sievierodonetsk
Partial Mobilization of the Autumn of 2022 as a result of the setbacks of the Kharkiv Counter Offensive
Giving contracts to violent prisoners for Bahkmut
Coercion of foreign citizens of Asian and African countries to sign contracts
And now we are seeing regular North Korean military, in likely the thousands, that will eventually be sent to at least towards the border areas.
Shoigu asking for a 2nd mobilization earlier this year before being reassigned
A military that isn’t “running out” wouldn’t be doing these actions. Yes, we will never see russia “run out of troops” but they will always be not enough to continue it long term. russia will keep on finding solutions for manpower but at a cost.
@@denniskasiyan4938 did AFU doing it to?
По поводу потерь - 18 октября был очередной обмен военнопленных, 93 русских солдата на 93 украинских солдата, бойцы вернулись домой из плена. Но был еще и обмен тел погибших воинов - арабы из Эмиратов, кто этим занимаются, обнародовали цифры: украинцы передали тела 89 убитых русских солдат, русские передали 501 тел убитых украинских солдат. Масштаб понятен? На одного убитого русского солдата почти шесть убитых украинцев и натовцев. Это не фейк, можете проверить.
Расеянских собак никто не собирает😂😂😂
кто члены нато, которых убили ?
Then why are the Ukrainians pushing into Western Russia?
russian are paid to post stuff like this comment
Bro really thinks Russia is losing 😭😭
😢⚰️
He's trying to hustle donations like all the other war-tourist scammers. And why does the image of the dude at 17:18 look like that American trans guy from Las Vegas who Kiev kicked out of the country? "Sarah"-something 🤣
It’s a stagnant war atm
He is just coping like denys. Both are living in another planet.
@@cravenmoorehead5657 no it's not, front is moving more and more for last 2 months... Ukr commanders now acknowledge that front has broken and they are in organized retreat... Watch the news from the other side too, you'll get a better picture, if you want to see the truth.
I always appreciate the work you do! Thanks Preston, keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
Praying hard for the soldiers on both sides. Praying hard for peace.
The most sensible comment on this video.
Amen 🙏
Don't pray, just stop giving your tax money to Ukraine.
@Clockworkg1rl I don't know where your from but, Americans have little say where our Tax money goes.
Remember Napoleon burn down Moscow the Russians did not give up. The Third Reich had millions of Russian prisoners and made it to the Volga river still the Russians did not give up. How can you hope they will give up this time?
They were on the defensive then. And in WWII they had US aid.
😂
Нефть из США - это около 70% всей помощи советской стороне. По мелочи были - джипы, консервы, одежда и обмундирование. Не надо забывать американцы помогали британцам и сами вели тяжелую войну с Японией. Короче, помощь для советской армии была существенной опорой, но не основой. Без помощи союзников война в СССР затянулась бы и немцы убили бы больше гражданских (на оккупированной территории погибло более 16 миллионов обычных советских граждан: русских, украинцев, белоруссов, евреев... ). Короче. Не надо переоценивать мощь Америки на тот момент, хотя помощь спасла несколько миллионов жизней граждан СССР. Советский Союзе все равно как минимум освободил бы свою землю самостоятельно. @@ChucksSEADnDEAD
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD Are you saying Russia will surrender? I am checking the map published by Ukraine. Russians are going forward every single day.
With a hell of lot of aid coming from the US.
Love your content keep up the great work ❤🔥
Thanks a lot!
@@PrestonStewart you’re better than TV. All the new stations are fake news.
Thank you Preston!! Your support is amazing not only for Ukraine but for eastern Europe in general!
Good information. You are the ONLY guy that i know on youtube, that has specified that aspect of superior numbers: wear down of the defenders by constant presure, not necesarily strong presure.
The classical "human wave" vs today's "meat wave".
It's been humbling seeing your channel evolve and I'm glad to be here to witness it. Stay safe out there!
Wagner had losses because they are a merc group and don't have full combined-arms. Also there was a shell shortage. Now that their tactics have been consumed by the regular army losses are far more manageable than Bakmut days.
They had tanks, artillery and a few Su-25s.
The Russian army also accused Wagner of requesting so many shells the rest of the Russian army was suffering because of it.
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD the whole army was lacking shells and drones and they didn't have air-soace for constant FAB attacks.
Wagner never fought alone. Marines and airborne forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and simple motorized infantry always helped - at least they held the flanks and provided fire support. Actually, just like the VKS. Wagner was at the forefront of the assault on the same Bakhmut - but full fire support was given to them by the Ministry of Defense. In Bakhmut and Masse, lancets and a large number of shells were used - which was not the case in other sectors of the front at the same time. It was only later that Prigozhin had problems with Shoigu after Bakhmut, or rather almost at the end, and they complained that they were not given enough shells - although it seems they were given more than ordinary army units - but the main batch was in Bakhmut. Do not forget that the Wagner PMCs are essentially Putin's personal guard, he allowed and supervised them - another thing is that the military did not like it - hence the problems with the Wagner rebellion. Of course, it is ridiculous to listen about consumables, given that mobilization has been going on in Ukraine for three years without ceasing. When there is no one in Russia. There are very few prisoners in Russia. Only 500,000 approximately. Most of them are simply not suitable for this - they take only those who are combat-ready and those who have been convicted on relatively light charges. In Wagner's best days, they numbered no more than 40,000 people. These are not meat waves or consumables. These are full-fledged stormtroopers - highly paid and motivated. And the fact that the war is now going on with light infantry and not tank wedges, so it's because of drones. It's safer on your feet. Nowadays, they even do assaults on motorcycles. Armor will not save you from FPV drones. So now it's either speed or stealth that saves you.
as always speculation over speculation
Almost as if Russia was once more using “Mine-Tramplers” like they *supposedly* did in ww2.
Enemy at the Gates is not a documentary. It's a sensationalized piece of hollywood propaganda. Also John Rambo did not exist and Marcus Luttrell aggrandized his unit who were wiped out by 8-12 TB fighters who were fighting uphill. not the 100 fighters that Luttrell claimed existed. Both the local villagers and a US Navy investigation confirmed Luttrell lied in the book "Lone Survivor". And the movie of the same name was yet another DoD funded hollywood military propaganda film just like like Black Hawk Down, Zero Dark Thirty, 13 Hours... And who can forget of "Act of Valor". It was literally a US Navy recruitment short film turned into a full fledged feature film.
I'm sorry if what I will ask was already answered but when you said that during the Bakmut battle the casualty ratio was 1:4 in favour to Ukraine, were talking about wounded and kia right?
Bc according to some reports Ukraine suffered 10k kia and incapacitated casualties while the Russians suffered 20k kia, essentially 1:2 casualty rate in favour to Ukraine but still only half of what was being reported.
Just want to be sure that's it
Ukrainians say that the Russians outnumber them in artillery by 1 to 14. Russia has a huge number of missiles that Kiev does not have. Aviation and helicopters constantly iron Ukrainians. And do you believe in a 1 to 4 loss? Yes, there were heavy battles near Bakhmut - but hardly any losses, even 1-1, no one will say - but most likely the Ukrainians suffered more losses. If Wagner's PMCs had lost 20,000 people there, it would have simply ceased to exist. Because 40,000 is the maximum they had - 20,000 dead is another 140,000 wounded.. In short, there have simply never been so many Wagners...
Thanks for the good sitrep Preston
Bakhmut had long fallen. It's old news.
Thanks for the in-depth report! Barely heard about Wagner tactics using prisoners on other videos, so have always wanted to know more.
hey look ma! i’ve never even talked to a recruiter but russian training standards make me vdv qualified!!
Ironically I met a former Spetsnaz this week😂stop lying. He told me I won’t survive the work required
Another thing just like you many Spetsnaz get out of the force in their late 20s because they are no longer as capable
@@lettheflamestakeover7374 it’s a joke. i’m joking that in the recent war, russian training standards have dropped so low now that even i, who’s never served the military, now can be a russian spec ops
@@jabr0n1if you’re going to joke😂you should make it true at least. “It’s funny cuz it’s true”😂comes from me insulting overweight people
@@lettheflamestakeover7374 well sarcasm is a thing, and partially it is true. story after story of russian conscripts getting sent to the front after firing 3 magazines of ammo and that’s basically it, i’m just taking the facts and adding a bit more absurdity to them, hence a joke
It’s worth remembering the conversion algebra, western platoons are usually 39-74, in Russia platoons are 22 men, company sized formations about 76 men
It is slightly easier to train
Half of the video is like „Somebody heard from a friend, that heard from other friend… so we can make the conclusion „ , but the comments are even better!
If Ukraine suffered fewer losses than Wagner, which lost 20,000 people, then why is everything so bad for them?
Because it is fake news, it is impossible for a force with 10x firepower to have more casualties.
Case in point: invasion of Iraq. Attacker don't suffer 3 to 1 or even 1 to 1 casualties due to the overwhelming firepower.
Is there not a simple explanation for why the situation is so bad for them?
From the very beginning Ukraine was overwhelmingly outmanned and outgunned. The main factor behind Ukraine’s extended resistance is foreign aid, but that doesn’t increase their manpower.
The real question you should be asking is this: If Ukraine is taking such heavy casualties, then through 3 years of war why has Russia only made minimal gains and aren’t steamrolling their way to Kyiv right now?
@eldestmochi913 Cause Donbas is heavily fortified and Russian trying to keep their casualties down.
Else how could a 600k forces attackers defeating a 700k defenders.
Command and structure + political decisions that spread in army
@@eldestmochi913 It's not the foreign aid. Russia was literally 1 mile from the western border of Kiev, 2 miles from the northwest and northern border skirting the Dnipro River. That's when the negotiations in Belarus initiated, but Boris Johnson threw a wrench in it to continue fighting. So what did Russia do? They pulled back and focused on protecting eastern Ukrainians (who have been holding Kiev at bay since 2014) and let Kiev play offense for the longest time. Why? Because the more the west kept throwing "wonder weapons," the more they would drain their own resources. But on the west side, it looked more like R&D as this is the first time they've used their weapons in a real conflict against a real peer with real technology. To put it more bluntly, the west used Ukraine more like a testing ground with Ukrainians as cannon fodder. And in this test, the US/Western Europe failed miserably. Who would have thought strapping an RPG warhead/hand grenade to a DJI drone would be the most cost-effective way to destroy/incapacitate an Abrams? Russia is playing the long game. The more Zelensky begs, the more the west has to spend to keep face, even if it means tanking their own economy to stave off the embarrassment they created themselves.
С начала войны в российскую армию было завербовано около 35 тысяч заключенных, плюс около 100 тысяч тех кто был на свободе, но хотел снять судимость. Плюс, сходную тактику в Бахмуте использовали и украинцы и натовцы, именно поэтому эту битву и прозвали "бахмутская мясорубка". Не надо забывать Россия воюет с нато. С тех пор натовцы и русские в основном используют тактику малых групп, именно поэтому война приняла такой затяжной характер. И да, по требованию нато власти Украины сделали ставку на насильственную мобилизацию (90% мужчин и 40% женщин выезд из Украины закрыт). Вопрос времени, когда на Украине потащат на войну 17 летних парней. Ну и женщин, конечно. У меня родня в Запорожье, Одессе и Киеве - мы из России переслали 7 тысяч $ через Турцию в Германию для выкупа племянников. Хотя мой брат был профессиональным спортсменом и у него были деньги, но их не хватило. Слава Богу, мальчишки сейчас в Германии. В России границы открыты для всех. В России больше половины мобилизованных в 2022 уже вернулись домой. Русская армия на 90% состоит из добровольцев.
This is an attritional war and high casualties are not a "Russian phenomenon". The Brits had 60 000 casualties in the Battle of Somme and this just on the first day.
The Battle of Verdun was fought by French Army soldiers. I think you mean the Battle of the Somme. The British launched that Offensive in response to German attacks on Verdun, and had 60k casualties.
@@el52 Yes, you are correct. I mixed those two up. Thanks.
Hey Preston, around 10:00 there's a tiny line at the bottom of the frame where we can see your body... didn't move the overlaying footage down far enough 😂
Very insightful & great delivery, as usual!
Thanks a lot!
If there's another Earth, this existing one is surely disposable.. Who is worthy to inherit peace??.. Sun is bright, but the souls are dark.. 🔥 🔥🔥
I belive that soldiers on both sides are disposable. The only difference is that ukrainian soldier gets nothing and his family only gets report if he was kia, on the other hand russian soldier gets paid(for their standards alot) and his family gets bennefits if he is kia.
One thing no one talks about is Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu being replaced by Andrei Belousov seemed to have a huge impact on efficiency as well. Like night and day for Russia with him in the role as Minster of Defense.
It has nothing to do with the Minster of Defense. The vast majority (~80%) 1of the ground operations have been carried out by Wagner, DPR, LPR and other local militia groups (supplied with weapons and vehicles by RU) with minimal RU MoD advisors, MPs and engineers. Since early 2024, RU has sent in actual RU infantry (namely the Marines and VDV) to support the offensive in the Donbass. Avdeevka was the beginning of their offensive if you google the territorial losses of Kiev ~70% have happened this year alone. This has been a common theme throughout the conflict. RU rolls in and takes a bunch of territory to allow the DPR and LPR to reconstitute, then they pull out and Ukr starts gaining back some but not all of that lost territory, then rinse and repeat.
Putin said in his initial address this would be a protracted battle of attrition not a sprint. He is allowing the locals of Ukr (on both sides) to grind each other down until Kiev decides to act in their best interests and end their role of NATO cannon fodder.
@@joebenson528 talking about the logistics. Current, not past. If you don’t see the improvement then you must not follow. They have been running like a well oiled machine logistically ever since the switch. Wagner gets most its gear from the military as well. Although they are not even a factor anymore, so not sure why you think they are relevant.
@CORMACtheCRUEL
I'm not arguing whether or not logistics have improved. What I'm saying is that the reason they improved is because the RU MoD since 2024 has been running the show for the first time during the entire 2014-present civil conflict instead of using the Donbass militias as the primary ground forces. That's why Ukr has been getting routed across the entire front since February 2024 and lost 4 of 6 remaining strongholds in the Donbass (Kramatorsk [Controlled by the US CAG and Polish SOF/PDK detatchments] and Kraken's Sloviansk FOB are the last standing).
Wagner was responsible for surrounding the (tracked by 45th Guards Orlan-10 drone operators) Kursk incursion. They are still relevant in the conflict. They operate in a territorial role within Russia proper alongside the Kadyrovites (ironically, the same unit that surrounded the "Wagner coup" in Rostov).
Thank you so much, sir, for your great reporting that we're not getting anywhere else. You're great, and we're lucky to have you! Now, don't get a big head. LOL
A little correction: there are no convict units in Ukraine. The former convicts are dispersed among the general population of the army. It is better this way.
Because trust me bro?
@@TheChiefonator???
@@TheChiefonator because it only makes sense
Dang. How'd they do?
@@chozer1oh cool so you can explain then?
0:27-0:40 NO better deal bcuz then they'll just be admitted in the same position. Think about they go home, not back to jail, however, they'll be re-assigned just like everyone else. Now that they're free, they're considered applicable to be treated like the rest. Meaning: they'll be in this war zone until it's over as well too.
Outstanding HELP 99
You know there is over 10k+ hours of drone and go-pro footage covering this war from both sides and not one time did anyone see "human waves"
I feel you should also talk about Ukraine’s use of convicts in the battlefield.
He already did.
To give you a rundown, it’s kinda different on both why they’re using them, and how they’re using them.
Russia doesn’t NEED to recruit convicts to sustain their forces, but they use them anyways because losing a convict soldier is better than losing a volunteer contraktnik.
Whereas Ukraine needs them because Ukraine has nowhere near the population of Russia, and needs more sources of manpower to sustain their forces.
Russia uses their convict soldiers as disposable cannon fodder, using them like supporting forces that are simply meant to constantly grind down the enemy at high cost to themselves.
Whereas the convicts in Ukraine were actually given heavy equipment, professional training, and veteran leadership. Intending them to be used as regular professional forces.
@@dangersnail5839That’s misinformation. Ukraine doesn’t “need” to use convicts either. They choose to. They still haven’t drafted a single person younger than 25. There is also ZERO evidence on the equipment and training the convicts are given. You’ve made that up. I doubt anyone will trust them to serve alongside them, with a weapon. My guess is that they’re being used primarily in support functions, but I also don’t know for sure. Neither do you.
@@afcgeo882😂😂😂bro the first year you were bussing 16 yr olds to enlist, not even joking. I saw video with my own eyes
@@afcgeo882 bot. Didn't even bother changing the PFP from the other account.
@@dyr_glpsn4209 Who’s a bot?
14:26 "real training on the battlefield under fire", this is entirely consistent with what local proxy leaders like Strelkov have said about their conscripts, the hope that the survivors would pick up what they need to know during their time on the line (as discussed by Perun).
Standard attritional warfare doctrine and how the Russian army is structured. This structure suits a protected war, unlike NATO doctrine that relies upon highly trained NCOs to permit the application of tactics that are used.
As soon as that cadre of troops disappears, then those armed are in trouble because it takes years to get proficient to that standard.
Every army throughout time considers troops as more or less disposable.
Some are more valued than others. But if mission success demands a sacrifice...
Not really.
For example, most western armies, even on a company level attack, considers the death of a single soldier a major event that requires serious reconsideration on the operation.
For example, at the height of the Afghanistan war, the United States was losing roughly below one soldier every day. And the US Army considered it to be a military crisis.
And you could argue that this value of life placed on the soldiers makes western armies weaker, but it also means that due to the western emphasis on conservation of strength, western forces would last longer during a high intensity armed conflict.
@@dangersnail5839 Good point. The US has lost 7,080 troops since the start of the GWOT in 2001. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of deaths for Ukraine and Russia.
@@dangersnail5839 you're confusing fighting a full scale war against modern opponents with fighting goat farmers on Toyotas
@@TheOpethOfMastodon yeah, imagine losing 7k soldiers against guys in flip flops
@@yellowtunes2756 Yes yes, farmers with Toyotas, T-55s, BMP-1s, BTR-60s, MANPADS, and ATGMs.
Soviets fought against the afghans too, and the afghans were even more poorly equipped back then. And lost 4x as many in combat as the US did.
Let's stop funding this war and use the money for our own country.
Convicts absolutely got the best deal. They get a free card by going to Ukraine then come back home free to do absolutely anything they want. The latest laws allow criminals to bypass prison altogether by going to Ukraine. So basically, you can do whatever you want, literally, over and over again.
And if you have money, you can go to Ukraine "on paper" so to speak
They get sent straight to the front with little to no training, they are lied to about money and freedom after deployment, they are sent in to suicide mission after suicide mission, and the penal units can be refused medical treatment, I can hardly say that's a good deal...
That’s if you survive the hundreds of meat waves you have to go through. 99%+ don’t survive these meatwaves. They’re expected to die and not collect the money.
their survival rate is absolutelly horrendous
The reality is you have a better chance of winning the lottery than going to Ukraine 'again and again'
The catch is you have to be rich and if your rich enough to buy your way out of service, there probably committing white collar crimes like embezzling and you'd bribe your way out befoew your conscription paper work was even processed 😂😂 the catch 22 is for murders an rapist, they may have there sentence voided but once there service is up in a penal unit, there sent a conscription notice the same day because there now release as free citizen, that are eligible for conscription. 😂😂
What is enormous they did unthinkable thing. To this day soldiers were grouped to have higher morale and fire effectivness. Especially Russians always needed oficer supervision. And now they send 2-5 team to fight alone. And not for scouts or sof, but for low quality infantry. This is really innovative on a full blown battlefield.
What is that gun the guy runs with AKS 74 type sight and vpo 101 body at 11:17 - 11:20 ?
This is not the first time prisoners have been used in war
Great reporting. No one in the western media is talking about.
What you refer to as disposable troops is actually called "skirmishers" in military nomenclature. Skirmishers were "invented" inside the envelope of organised, battalion sized infantry in the new organisation of the French, Napoleonic military structure. The skirmishers were used as diversion and in shaping operations to allow line infantry to operate in its traditional firing lines by targeting officers, supply routes,ambushes and generally by being a nuisance for the opposing infantry. The concept died away after the Napoleonic Wars but returned a year or so into the trench wars of WW1 and was expanded and refined into the German storm troops. The concept was further developed during the inter war period and evolved into commando units and the early special forces. At the end of WW2, line infantry essentially ceased to exist and all took on aspects of skirmishing units. Post WW2, in the era of peacekeeping operations and insurgent wars, skirmishing again fell out of favour and was supplanted by manoeuvre warfare, heavily relying on armour as the assault forces. Now, with the re-emergence of trench warfare in Ukraine, it has come full circle and skirmishers are again ruling the battlefield.
They're not skirmishers. They're not diversion. They're assaulters that deploy in waves. Some waves have diggers who carry entrenching tools to build hasty fighting position. They're not expected to use them. It's for the next assault. Some waves are "mules" who carry ammunition and supplies to these fighting positions. So what you get is a creeping advance that covers terrain in the open at the cost of troops. So the lower skilled men go first.
Every army at war has troops it considers disposable or acceptable to lose. Sad but true.
Never known that in the British army.
@@zedeyejoe Do you not think officers ordering recon by fire think there are acceptable losses? Also, NATO has not fought an attritional war. Nor a trench war.
@@danielallan8061 In the Russian army you do what you are told, end of. As Stalin said: 'It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Soviet army'. But attacks regardless of losses are not smart.
I don't think NATO has ever fought any fought any sort of war. But the troops of its countries have, many of them. You are right the West does not fight attritional wars, they are hard, brutal and fast. Air power is used to a great extent. Air power is not something Ukraine has not had access to. Hopefully the F16s will change that. They have proved to be highly effective in other wars.
I wonder what the Surveillance drones have been doing to improve the ability to close gaps due to lack of man-power.
Keep up the good work Preston, love your channel and the fact that you're raising money for the boys on the front. Slava Ukraine
Notice this dork has said nothing about the Ukraine collapse in Kursk as well as forced conscription?
You both are hilarious. Tell us o sages of the putler what is really going on in the "special" military operation.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Must be rough sucking on, putin he's so angry these days.
@@horstnietzsche1923 You can always join Cocainsky's army, what are you waiting for? Trolling online seems safer?
@@darenzythey’re too cowardly to do such a thing though. 😂
@@darenzy It's Russia that's begging for foreigners, though.
Ukraine can’t use disposable infantry when they don’t have enough to man defensive positions
From Nigeria 🇳🇬. Simply enjoy your analyses.
Oh, I forgot, Russia doesn't only use convicts/deserters and whatnot, it's people who are only suspected of crimes as well, and on top of that debtors and such are also shipped to storm. Sometimes even random conscripts end up there (I know of two specific cases of the last one, with one being tricked into volunteering instead of being conscripted, which is a common tactic).
I will never forget the wagner sledgehammer. Nor the beheading. Just disgusting!
Who was the guy they killed?
Sure sure, looks all brutal, but that doesn't matter, who'd they kill?
How many of the group at 11:45 are still alive? Crazy to think they could all be gone.
I disagree with Kaufman's assessment that these tactics were effective. "Effective" would be taking Bakhmut in a matter of days or weeks. The fact that they could only gain a block of the city in that time with horrible losses shows how ineffective these tactics were. Ukraine was happy to wear down Russian/Wagner forces in such a lopsided meat-grinder. The main effect was ultimately the Wagner mutiny, which was the beginning of the end for Russia as a state (or at the very least Putin). The affect on Russia's fighting effort was worse: it settled their expectations as low as they can go. Commanders saw that meat-assault tactics could gain a pace of advance that was acceptable to the Kremlin. They also realized that they could send their forces to die and embezzle their pay. So the Russian army oriented itself to supporting these failing tactics because they don't need to care about actually winning.
experts on fighting camel cavalery. after the war we'll see ratio. who was a meat
Would love to try some of the stuff you're smoking. You're even worse than that propagandist "source".
@@gardnert1 people underestimate the amount of ressources Ukraine spent to hold on to bakhmut indefinitely, something even Ukrainians and US officials have said and criticized.
People trying to portray the battle as "haha Russians can't even capture this small city in days or weeks, lol" as if Ukraine didn't sent most of it's veteran brigades to defend the city, they fought valiantly and had significant casualties so minimizing their sacrifice seems a insult to their sacrifice.
People are forgetting that Ukraine did everything they could to prevent it's capture, Zelesnksy literally promised that the city would never fall that it became his motto "bakhmut holds", he even went as far as to say the results of the war are tied to Bakhmut's fate.
It's crazy to hear some guy online saying bs like this while the Ukrainian soldiers on the ground talked about how Wagner was fighting well and etc...
To conclude, the Battle for Bakhmut was brutal as both sides kept throwing in more and more ressources to either defend it or capture it. And of course the winner was the side with the most air support, artillery fire power and more manpower, go figure.
Saying that the Russians were so incompetent that it took they so many months is like slapping the face of the Ukrainian defenders that fought hard and nail to defend it at all cost, instead of saying "yeah it took them too many months bc we fought like hell" nope people online are saying "lol they are so incompetent that it took they so many months", and people like you is only going to down play Ukraine's cause.
Bakhmut was a classical case of a phyrric victory.
Beiber & Dolik, whatever happened to those two?
I quote famous green politician of my country, who actually was eco fascist. He didnt value human life at all. He was asked how he feels about famine deaths in Africa, and why its always the poor countries who take the hardest blows. He said, he dont care who dies and where, as long as they die.
Are you from Equatorial Guinea?
@@Greenlandshark77 Finland
You really can't call them "disposable infantry" when western nations were the ones who redefined "Mercenary" as "Private Military Contractors." Wagner still operates under that law no difference than all the other legitimate PMCs since the invasion of Iraq.
Its pronounced Vagner, 'W' in German makes a 'V' sound.
If you were speaking German sure, but as it’s written and sounded out in English, it’s with the W. You’ll find W is used by the vast majority of folks who have studied the organization since their inception.
@@PrestonStewartbut it’s a name not a word.
@@yghhhhrffvjust toss it in with the slew of heterophonic names across languages. American English in particular does this, and not only with names.
I wonder how effective that drone gun is. I assume it's some kind of jamming device. Also, what are the dots around the 5:00-5:45 marks? It appears to be IR related; reflections off a patch or something? It's a cluster of those dots aimed in one spot, and the speaker steps in and out of them.
😂😂
The leader of Wanker group
😂😂
That always cracks me up.
Ukraine does not train soldiers for months. Only a handful actually go through extensive training. There has been many reports from Ukrainian troops saying they had only a week or two of training and were sent to the front.
Yawn propaganda..fake news
Preston I’d like to see a video on what they’re paying Russian prisoners to fight what they’re paying Ukraine, prisoners to fight and what are foreign fighters being paid to fight for Ukraine ??
Dang i got second place
Thanks, pretty interesting to hear how they used those inmates in the Wagner group and how the Russian army used the same tactiics but kept the inmates in the army.
ukraine is currently losing more troops than russians...
They recently had a protest in Kyiv because there are tens of thousands soldiers that are missing and they keep them as missing not to pay out to the families. Yet, no news talk about it.
Can I get the source for Wagner using "convicts" as disposable troops?
@@offjofce Unless someone can provide me with a valid source, I'm going to assume that it is simply another "trust me bro, I'm an American" source. It probably comes from the RU penal battalions of WW2.
Am... Bullshit... Am... Bullshit...
Mediazona as biased as it gets, has shown decline in Russian KIA per day, as war progresses. I would assume KIA MIA of RU troops would stay simmilar as in Bakhmut days. Internat power struggle in RU army is somthing UA troops can use, as long as it lasts.
Other than that, storm tactics is better than sit and wait for drone or shell which is prefered by Ukrainian army. Dynamic troop movement rather than static. Also troop movement yields better results, than sit in trench. OK, bribing way out of front line is good strategy for Ukraine soldiers, and people.
I am waiting for day Ukraine army implements combat corruption strategy. That is a must in order to fully win.
So.... You're sending material and aid to a country that doesn't need it?
Thanks Preston 👍
In actual war all soldiers are disposable.
When your president checks his watch and doesn't give a crap about military deaths, I don't think Americans can comment on how expendqble someone elses forces are.
Copium by a week us serviceman who would be scared by anything beside leaving his computer. You are a week individual.
Thanks for the input, usa3526.
Giving them money or gear is like just throwing shit away
I wonder how much the us pays for this kind of content.
Wondering how much you get paid to post comments.
Bakhmut was a bizarre, the russians say they held on to entrench the Ukrainians and build up reserves and the uks say they where trying to waste russian lives, overall the city fell, tens of thousands died and the lines moved back to the cities behind, kramatorsk and serverodonetsk and the patter just repeats it self.
What happened to million strong Ukrainian army who has 31000 killed and still has manpower shortage and force mobilizationg 500000 conscripts and you has Russian meat wave attack or only trust me bro I'm American who always speak truth 😂😂😂
Kyiv in three days? ahahaha))) you can't get out of Donetsk region for the third year)))😂😂😂
Those guys at 5:20 are telegraphing their position and don't even know it.
US feverishly taking notes for the Pacific in 2030.
I’m guessing the fatality rate in the convict meat assaults was 70-90%
How very RUSSIAN of them!
Great vid!
Thanks a lot!
Early bird gets the worm
What’s so sad in the way they used exactly as ‘disposable’ never takes into account that to these husbands, sons, fathers and brothers, they were NOT disposable! Mothers and wives grieved every bit as much as regular killed troops mothers and wives. Their kids still will grow up fatherless.
You keep painting them as the bad guys , remember when you came to Iraq for no reason ?
I mean Iraq spent like a decade openly breaking the 1991 ceasefire conditions.
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD let’s assume what you said is true
What kind of threat did Iraq had against America ?
Their whole military was wiped off by US Air Force
They just came back from a painful 8 years of war with Iran
so basically
Every experienced soldier is either dead or seriously injured
Wtf man use your brain for once
I was in Wagner as a contractor. And in this video, everything is told quite truthfully.