How Russia’s Suicidal Probe Attacks Work Around Bakhmut

Dismounted infantry return fire while advancing on the “enemy” Aug. 19 at the Crittenberger Multi-Purpose Range Complex at Fort Hood, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Keith Anderson, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 1st Cavalry Division/released)

Since August of 2022, Russia has been attempting to take the frontline city of Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine.

Despite incremental gains by Russian forces, Bakhmut seems notoriously difficult to subdue.

The reasons for this are complex: Bakhmut has become something of a “line in the sand” for the Ukrainian defenders. Also, the deadly evolution of anti-aircraft capabilities on both sides has left Russia largely without air support.

But, perhaps more impactful to Russia’s battlefield failures are the infantry tactics they must employ to counter the existence of a fighting force with no incentive to fight.

This lack of incentive is not exclusively a Russian problem — armies have been struggling with this for centuries.

But what is unique to Russia is their willingness to sacrifice convicts and conscripts simply to identify Ukrainian artillery and defensive positions before sending in a second wave.

Russia’s probing attack works like this:

Russia will pick two to three landmarks on Ukraine’s defensive line — Let’s say: a gas station, a government building, and a farm.

Russia begins its probe by bombarding all three locations with artillery to soften the…