Kiev Utilizing Strategy ‘Wargamed’ by Pentagon in Southern Ukraine, Security Analyst Tells Sputnik

Amid its ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated on September 9 that “a decision was made to regroup” some of its troops from the Balakliya and Izyum areas and transfer them to the eastern Donetsk region.

Kiev has acknowledged that trying to send troops directly into the face of the main Russian military force, grinding its way through extensive fortifications in Donbass, is not a “winning card,” international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda has told Radio Sputnik.

Accordingly, the Ukrainian authorities are now utilizing a plan "wargamed" by the Pentagon, as reported openly by CNN and other media outlets, of using its manpower advantage.

The US plan stipulates that Ukrainians attack multiple areas in quick succession or simultaneously with large numbers of rapidly-moving mechanized infantry and mass “human wave” attacks, according to Sleboda. Kiev currently has a 600,000-strong army, Sleboda believes, which leaves it with more than a 3-1 advantage in sheer manpower over what Russia has in the field.

However, the high cost, Sleboda says, is that the Kiev regime is feeding its troops "as cannon fodder to Russia's overwhelming superiority in aviation, artillery and rocket systems. They have suffered horrific casualties as a result, whereas the Russian military withdrew from Kharkov in good order and sustained very light casualties."

Kiev has massively mobilized forces in recent months, calling up a lot of volunteers, besides starting forced conscription, thus putting hundreds of thousands of people into military service. To enforce it, borders have been closed for any male between the ages of 16 and 60, Sleboda emphasized.

Meanwhile, Russia has limited its special military operation to intervene in the ongoing civil conflict in Ukraine to just 150,000 of its one million active-duty troops and two million reserves.

This is buttressed by around 40,000 to 50,000 from Donbass and elsewhere fighting to overthrow the West-backed regime in Kiev, the expert adds. This US strategy requires the Kiev regime to accept losing large numbers of troops to Russian fire from artillery and rocket systems as “cannon fodder” – something it is perfectly willing to do, Sleboda claimed.

However, in Kherson, this did not work, as Russia had concentrated a significant force there – along with heavy artillery and aviation.

‘Costs’ of Strategy

The cost of this all is to the people of eastern Ukraine, Mark Sleboda emphasized, as the Kiev regime has announced that its neo-Nazi battalions are going to “cleanse” all traitors and collaborators, as they call it.

According to new laws introduced by the Kiev regime, anyone who accepts humanitarian aid from Russia or has a Russian passport is branded a "collaborator." Such people possibly face up to 15 years in prison. However, the analyst voices the fear that these people will most likely end up being shot in the back by the Kraken, Azov*, and other neo-Nazi formations funded by the Kiev regime.

Going back to the recent regrouping tactics by Russia, Mark Sleboda says that Moscow’s strategy was to save their forces for a possibly looming more important battle, allowing it to sustain very light casualties throughout the maneuvers.

As to why the special operation in Ukraine was limited by the Kremlin to just 10 percent of the Russian force, it could be taken as a political signal to NATO, the analyst tells Sputnik. Possibly, the intention was to clarify from the outset the limited scope of the special operation and its clearly-defined goals. It could also have been an attempt to prevent a direct incursion of the alliance into the territory of western Ukraine, Mark Sleboda concludes.

*The Azov battalion is a terrorist group banned in Russia.