Part 4/8:
Under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group launched relentless human wave assaults aimed at overwhelming Ukrainian defenses—characterized as "meat grinder" tactics that put enormous pressure on the Ukrainian forces. Despite suffering devastating casualties, the strategy aimed to draw Ukrainian fire and pinpoint their positions for subsequent artillery bombardment and flank attacks.
Casualties and Tactical Decline
As the battle raged through the autumn and into winter, conditions mirrored those of World War I. Artillery became a pivotal aspect of combat—strategic trenches were employed by Ukrainians to shield against incoming fire, while Russian tactics involved sending wave after wave of poorly trained soldiers to absorb machine gun fire and exhaust defenses.