‘Disposable’ soldiers forced into meat grinder assault unequipped as commanders face dwindling supplies from Moscow
By Verity Bowman
Nov 29, 2025
A Russian soldier breaks into a frantic run across a field. He glances upward, as if already sensing the Ukrainian drone circling above, then pushes toward a thin line of trees, the only cover in sight.
But the panicked soldier has no helmet, no body armour – not even a load-bearing vest. He is killed in an instant.
It is a scene repeated across the Lyman frontline, according to soldiers in the area – one that underscores the Russian command’s apparent disregard for the lives of its own troops.
“It’s a new trend. Especially if you compare it to last year, when there were practically no similar cases,” Igor Komok, deputy commander of Ukraine’s 2nd mechanised battalion of the 66th separate mechanised brigade, told The Telegraph.
“We can say they are being forced to fight without the armour they need. They must do it.”
Video footage shared with The Telegraph paints a bleak picture for Russian soldiers in the Donetsk Oblast.
Several soldiers scramble across the fields in nothing but camouflage, while other clips show them pressing themselves into the foliage in a futile attempt to hide.
The 66th brigade shared photographs of at least six soldiers recently killed without any protective clothing, as well as numerous video clips. They say the phenomenon is even more widespread than these documented cases.
“Helmets were only worn in four groups out of the last 20,” said Commander Komok, referring to recent battalions of advancing Russians. “That is, these are not isolated cases.”
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, recent days have seen dozens of assaults in Lyman.
The 66th Brigade is responsible for holding back Russian attacks in the region. Officials said that Russia is currently attempting to exploit weather conditions – heavy fog and the absence of greenery – to make advances, something complicating Ukraine’s defences.
Moscow’s troops are pressing forward with heavy numbers of infantry supported by drones, at times resorting to motorcycle advances with significant losses.
Dmytro Zhmailo, executive director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, said: “The lack of protective gear is an adaptation to the current conditions on the front line, where the Russian army is suffering disproportionately high losses in daily ‘meat grinder’ assaults.”
Mr Zhmailo explained all of the clips shared by the 66th Brigade were taken in late October and November, adding that it is “quite a common phenomenon” to see soldiers without the protective gear they desperately need
He said that the lack of appropriate equipment reflects the high losses of the Russian army, which have led to shortages of supplies, weapons and ammunition, and that Russia’s ability to sustain its military is declining amid economic problems.
Most Russian assault troops are treated as “disposable”, he said, receiving low-quality equipment and training, while the command tries to conserve scarce resources that Moscow cannot fully supply.
Mr Zhmailo also suggested that the incidents could be some form of punishment for disobeying commanders.
“In the Russian army, it is extremely common to ‘punish’ personnel by ‘zeroing’ them, when commanders deliberately send their fighters to their deaths by Ukrainian drones.”
Russian commanders often send wounded soldiers into battle without even arming them, as they are considered “disposable”, he added.
The Telegraph has collected further evidence showing the brutal front-line conditions for Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Russian soldiers reported that minor infractions, such as carrying one litre of water instead of two, or wearing non-regulation patches, can lead to arrest by military police and forced deployment into assault squads.
In footage shared on Telegram, others said they are eating tree bark to survive, and that they face extortion from their superiors.
“For the Russian command, they are merely expendable resources for achieving the Kremlin’s political goals,” said Mr Zhmailo. “Russian groups are exhausted and suffer heavy losses from constant assaults, and the Russian leadership demands results on the battlefield.”
Commander Komok suggested that the Russian troops caught out by his unit might have been completely unaware they were approaching Ukrainian forces due to the chaos on the frontline.
“Most likely, Russian troops do not even suspect that they are approaching the positions of Ukrainian forces,” he said. “The Russian command convinces the personnel that there are no Ukrainian troops ahead, only allies.”
He believes that the lack of equipment is not just down to shortages in supplies on the Russian side, but also recklessness and a disregard for the lives of their foot soldiers.
According to Mr Zhmailo, it is likely that many of the Russian troops caught by the 66th Brigade were sent into the field to retrieve the weapons and supplies left behind with their dead comrades.
“This equipment is then passed on to the next assault group, which will go on another meat grinder assault. Meanwhile, the Russian assault troops who died on the battlefield are left behind. The Russian command simply saves resources by not supplying the foot soldiers.”
Russia also often uses unarmed and unprotected men to run into the field by foot to deliver provisions and ammunition – a role giving them the nickname “camels” by their comrades.
Mr Zhmailo said that in most cases “camels” are quickly detected by drones and destroyed, meaning the Russian command can send several of them into battle during an operation.
In most cases they are unprotected and unarmed.
“We are forced to destroy them, because if we don’t do this, our guys may die,” said Commander Komok.
“We can say yes – they [Russian troops] must fight without the right armour because of deception from their own command and their own decision to take up arms and go to war in a foreign country.”
Oh dear how sad.
Never mind.
Now slither back to your shitholes you cockroach vermin.
“The Russian army is suffering disproportionately high losses.”
Nowhere near enough. Smoke 3000 orcs each day for six months and they will simply have to give up.
Very good. The more and the quicker they get wasted, the better.