Russian soldiers who refuse to renew their military contracts are being sent to the front lines in the Kursk region, where they are subjected to high-risk, mass casualty assaults, according to the partisan movement ATESH on January 30.
An ATESH agent embedded in the Russian Armed Forces reported that commanders in the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade are pressuring soldiers to sign new contracts for at least three years.
Those who refuse are being deployed to the Kursk sector, where they face what commanders allegedly refer to as "zeroing out" in brutal "meat grinder" assaults — a strategy in which waves of poorly trained troops are thrown into heavily fortified enemy positions with little regard for casualties.
Kursk Region Sees Heavy Russian Losses
Russia has frequently used "meat grinder" tactics throughout its war in Ukraine, deploying large numbers of expendable soldiers in direct assaults on fortified Ukrainian positions.
These attacks result in massive losses, as inexperienced troops are sent into battle with minimal training and support.
Recent reports indicate that Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties in their attempts to gain control of the Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently disclosed that of the 12,000 North Korean soldiers reportedly deployed to the Kursk front, at least 4,000 have already been killed in battle.
