No tanks, lone soldiers; new Russian assault tactics - mass casualties in Putin's army

Russian assault tactics have undergone a significant transformation over the past year as troops increasingly attack in small groups of just a few soldiers or even individually to navigate deadly kill zones. According to Victor Treehabov, a spokesperson for the Joint Forces Task Force, this shift involves soldiers hiding and moving covertly before regrouping into larger formations once they pass the initial danger area. This change is driven by the escalating lethality of the land between rear and front lines, where both sides are struggling with the high cost of sending large numbers of men forward without adequate protection. The primary catalyst for this tactical evolution is the widespread use of drones by both Russian and Ukrainian forces, which has fundamentally altered how assaults are planned and executed. Because heavy equipment like tanks are easily spotted and destroyed by much cheaper drones, Russia has largely abandoned their use in direct assault operations, with the kill zone now extending up to 20 kilometers. Even Ukrainian mechanized brigades have noted that tank crews rarely deploy under current conditions, effectively relegating these powerful vehicles from the front lines to support roles or storage, as driving them close to the front makes them prime targets for aerial surveillance and attack. Exceptions to this trend occur only when Russia can afford to provide massive drone support to shield its armored units or when weather conditions such as rain and fog prevent Ukrainian drones from operating effectively. In these specific scenarios, tanks may be reintroduced into the kill zone, but they remain a rare sight on the battlefield otherwise. The dominance of drone warfare has not only reduced the number of soldiers sent on each assault but has also replaced many traditional roles previously filled by heavy armor, marking a stark departure from conventional military engagements where massed tank formations were once the standard for breakthrough operations.