Russian Meat Wave and Its Discontents

Here's an insightful video on the reasons why Russia implements meat wave attacks in its war against Ukraine. This has obviously been the default modus operandi of Russian wars since time immemorial, especially since the Bolshevik Revolution, when it threw away the European veneer superimposed on it during the Petrine era and thereby returned to its true self. But in the context of the current war it might have specific purposes as the author of the video claims.

First, I'd like to address the claim that Russia attacks in meat waves because they actually work. Here however it depends on the goals and, after all, what one perceives "it works" means. The author brings the example of Bakhmut, where Russia sustained immense losses in manpower, but eventually managed to capture the city. It is however questionable Russian attained a strategic advantage from this long-term. In the short term, of course, one might seem as winning by conquering patches of territory, but his manpower and resources will eventually dry up. This would make him even weaker and more vulnerable than from where he started, eventually enabling the adversary to re-capture lost territories and capture new ones. It needs reminding that the primary goal in a war is not to capture territory but to destroy the enemy forces, both in manpower and equipment. And Ukraine is accomplishing this brilliantly. Acquisition of territories later follows as a consequence of this.

In this regard, what comes to mind is the German defeat in WWI. As is known, Entente powers haven't entered the German soil back then. It's just German resources have dried out and Germany ended up with no means to continue fighting anymore. Some historians allude to Erich Ludendorff's reckless tactics close to the end of the war of trying to overwhelm the enemy defences with manpower on the battlefields of France. Obviously, it was nowhere close to the Russian meat wave attacks, but nevertheless can be considered reckless by German standards. When that last-ditch offensive failed Germany was laid bare defenseless.

Unlike many fear, Russia's resources are not endless. And its demographics is abysmal, in fact even worse than in many industrialized Western nations. The worn out Russian refrain that "women will replenish the losses by giving more births" certainly doesn't work. Some commentators, however, point to the success of the Soviets against Nazi Germany in WWII to prove the eventual efficacy of the meat wave attacks, whereby the technologically backward and inefficient Soviet Union prevailed against highly technological and efficient Germany.

However, such allusions are misleading and don't apply to Russia's war against Ukraine. Firstly, as mentioned earlier present-day Russia has a much tinier resource base and worse demographics than the Soviet Union. Secondly, and more importantly, the Soviet Union had the full backing of the U.S. military-industrial complex. One needs reminding again and again that it prevailed against Germany solely thanks to the massive Lend Lease program by the U.S. that provided the Russians with military equipment, food and other necessities crucial for the war effort. Without it the highly efficient and capable Germany would have crushed the Soviet Union in no time, which in fact it was doing in 1941 and early 1942, before the deliveries from the U.S. began to arrive and their effects began to be felt on the battlefield. Before that Germans were crushing every Russian meat wave with ease. This time around it's Ukraine, and not Russia, that has the Western backing, albeit sadly still far below the levels that the U.S. was providing the Soviet Union in WWII, which is of course a disgrace but a topic for another discussion. Moreover, this time around Russia is stifled in its own output due to sanctions, which in spite of some shortcomings still work.

The author later delves into another deeper reason as to why Russia is trying to overwhelm Ukrainian defences with reckless meat wave attacks. And that is a psychological one, aimed to manipulate the Western public. Its goal is to convey to the West the Russian resolve and persuade it of the hopelessness of Ukraine's cause. In this way Russians hope to weaken Western help to Ukraine. 

However, it appears that Russians have completely misread the public sentiment in Western societies and the ruling class. Paradoxically, the main bottleneck in the West hindering support to Ukraine has not been resignation or viewing of Ukrainian resistance as a lost cause, but rather the complacency and the assumption that Ukraine has already won! With their reckless meat wave attacks against Ukrainian defences and their refusal of any concessions, Russians unwittingly strengthen the Western resolve and the sense of urgency, thereby prompting Western countries to seek for ways to pump Ukraine with even more weapons and resources. So, this Russian strategy leads to exact opposite results than what it intended.

From time immemorial Europeans have often misread Russians and been incapable of comprehending Russian behavior and way of thinking. It turns out that Russians also happen to fail at discerning European way of thinking and tend to misinterpret the European mindset. Which again goes on to show that Russians and Europeans, in spite of looking alike, are very different peoples deep inside, who remain elusive to each other and belong to different worlds.