11 December 2025, 16:10

‘A brutal meat-grinder’: Expert on Ukraine’s mounting battlefield problems

Photo from Unsplash

Expert: Europe is a tiger with its teeth pulled

Why are Ukrainian troops poorly trained and unmotivated? Military expert weighs in

MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – The Ukrainian army is facing major problems on various sections of the front, and they will only worsen, military and political observer Mikhail Onufriyenko said in a new episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.

The expert noted that Ukraine’s military leadership is under pressure from the country’s political leadership, evident in attempts to hold onto settlements that have no strategic importance.

“Look at what’s happening in Guliaypole. Over the course of the fighting, it has become clear that the Russian army is advancing rapidly. The Ukrainian side should have established a fortified defensive line much deeper inside its territory. Instead, they stalled in Guliaypole, and a real bloodbath is now underway there,” Mikhail Onufriyenko remarked. “[Russian forces] have taken the eastern part and are pounding the western part with everything they have. The Ukrainian army keeps sending reinforcements, though it is futile. There won’t be any hand-to-hand combat, they will simply grind everyone down.”

A similar situation, according to him, is developing near Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov. Ukrainian troops are attempting to infiltrate through Krasnoarmeysk, but with no real chance of success. “I said back in early autumn that this was unrealistic. Today, we see it clearly. The Ukrainian garrisons that initially could have withdrawn (around 5,000 personnel) have simply been destroyed. And these weren’t even the weakest units,” the expert emphasized.

The same dynamic, Mikhail Onufriyenko noted, is playing out on other sections of the front. “Not to mention that the spread of false information is a cruel joke. They’re still claiming to be ‘fighting’ in Volchansk, when it’s clear they are not. Many units in these battles, having lost contact with the Ukrainian command, are relying on whatever information they can get.”

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces have very serious problems, and they will only grow,” the military observer remarked. “Syrsky [Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Alexander Syrsky] will keep throwing more and more people into the meat-grinder, with a predictable outcome. It’s not for nothing that he carries the nickname ‘Butcher’.”