If the RUSI report is correct, then morale in Russian forces may be approaching the level of attrition where units start to crack in Ukraine.
  • zabadoh@lemmy.ml
    15·
    1 year ago

    That’s an interesting idea: That morale and fighting capability collapses when a unit reaches a 31%-35% casualty rate, and that’s fine for any individual engagement where troop levels on both sides are static.

    But the theory doesn’t account for Russia’s doctrine of throwing seemingly unlimited numbers of untrained or undertrained cannon fodder into front line trenches to make up the numbers, while professional or cohesive units sit in the next row of trenches.

    If the article’s collapse theory is to work, they need to decimate the professional units in the secondary lines of defense, and the cannon fodder will collapse on their own.

    • bradorsomething@ttrpg.network
      2·
      1 year ago

      Another important factor in troop morale and performance is rotating in and out of the battle line. Studies have shown that a unit in active combat degrades in effective strength rapidly, until finally the percent of capable soldiers begins to match the percentage of sociopaths in society.

      If Russian doesn’t relieve their green troops regularly under the constant shelling, eventually they will just be human shells huddling in trenches.