Ukraine loses 4-5 men to advance a few hundred feet, morale drops: report

• Ukraine is losing, on average, 4-5 men to advance 100 meters on their counter-offensive.
• Russian forces were well prepared and used dense minefields to hinder Ukrainian advances.
• One soldier said that while Ukraine had practiced how to capture trenches, but not hold them.

Ukrainian troops are suffering from deteriorating morale as casualties mount in their heavy-handed counter-offensive to retake territory from Russia, a report says.

“Every hundred meters of ground we gain means 4-5 children who have left the ranks – that’s the average loss,” said an unnamed Ukrainian infantryman. The Post Office of Kyiv.

He said that as soon as they attack Russian positions, they use artillery to “hammer our positions from front to back.”

“As long as we are standing and holding, we can say there are no losses; there may be some minor injuries. As soon as we move forward, there are significant losses. Up to half a unit for every kilometer we capture,” or about 0.6 miles, “and it is not a fact that we hold that kilometer further,” he said.

The soldier, who was fighting near Russian-held Donetsk, told the source that his unit had captured and then lost several Russian trenches because Ukraine’s armed forces had been training to capture them but had not practiced to avoid counterattacks, he said.

A combat medic who requested anonymity told The Kyiv Post that the Russians received too much advance warning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which meant they were well prepared.

Russian forces prepared by creating dense minefields, meaning that Ukrainian forces are moving at a “snail’s pace”. “Every square inch is mined,” he said.

He added that many sappers are being killed while ahead of other troops.

Marienko Andrew/AP

In addition to facing landmines, Ukrainian soldiers also face IED attacks, shelling attacks, cluster bombs, artillery and more, the soldier said.

“In one month we have only advanced a kilometer and a half. We are advancing by centimeters, but I think it is not worth all the human and material resources we have spent,” he said.

Despite some instances of deteriorating morale, soldiers said their units were still willing to continue attacking.

Other units that spoke to the outlet painted a different, more optimistic picture, particularly those fighting around Bakhmut, who said the attacks have been successful and morale is excellent.

Although Ukraine suffers heavy casualties, fewer men die than expected due to cautious tactics and high-quality armored vehicles supplied by Ukraine’s Western allies. The Times of London reported