Some Russian soldiers are allegedly being subjected to blackmail for refusing to renew their contracts with the Russian military.
This was shared by the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh, citing an agent embedded within the ranks of the invading forces.
According to the group, the higher command of the Russian Army’s 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade is pressuring its soldiers to either renew their contracts or face deployment to embattled regions and participate in “meat assaults.”
The term “meat assault” refers to large-scale attacks in which soldiers are sent in waves to storm enemy positions with minimal cover, often resulting in high casualties. They are sometimes referred to as “suicide missions” due to the extreme risks involved.
“They are forcing them to sign a contract for at least three years, and those who refuse will be transferred to the Kursk Axis,” Atesh noted. “At the same time, the command opaquely hints at how their path will end there — be wiped out in the meat assaults.”
‘Throwing People Into a Meat Grinder’
Fighting in Russia’s Kursk region has intensified since Kyiv’s surprise incursion in August. Thousands of North Korean troops have reportedly been deployed to assist Russian forces in defending the territory.
However, South Korea’s defense ministry has stated that these reinforcements are being used as “cannon fodder,” with most deployed in high-risk frontline areas to relieve Russian forces directly exposed to heavy combat.
The Russian military has been previously accused of throwing its own soldiers into a “meat grinder,” with thousands of mobilized troops killed or wounded in battle.
In June 2024, a Russian soldier assigned to the 1009th regiment described how his unit was nearly wiped out by heavy artillery, yet commanders still ordered them to continue advancing.
“They just chop us up! We’re sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight, like meat. And commanders just shout ‘forward, forward,’” the soldier lamented.
As of January 30, Russia has reportedly lost over 800,000 troops in the conflict, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
