Russia has been trying a tactic of ‘a thousand cuts’ in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has been brutal. We’ve seen massive, large-scale operations with multiple moving parts made up of air cover, armored assaults, and indirect fire. These massive operations are expensive, difficult to logistically support, and exhausting of equipment and personnel. In Ukraine most large-scale operations have gained little ground or their gains are often quickly reversed.

Further, trenches now zigzag through the front lines making it difficult to advance and Russia doesn’t have the tanks and armored vehicles to throw around anymore. So it is shifting its tactics.

Moscow’s new tactic has been called the “thousand cuts” by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. This new offensive tactic was observed in the beginning of this summer, according to Syrskyi, and is an unconventional tactic in what’s largely a conventional war.

The “thousand cuts” tactic comes from the concept of death by a thousand cuts: the idea that a massive number of small attacks can destroy anything.

According to this tactic, the Russian forces have been relying on large numbers of small assault groups, which typically consist of four to six men, to penetrate Ukrainian front lines.

The groups’ small size makes them difficult to detect, therefore, they can move more efficiently compared to a larger, more standardized assault force. These Russians soldiers are sticking to the countryside, using forests, ravines, and similar terrain to infiltrate Ukrainian lines. These “thousand cuts” troops have reportedly penetrated as deep as 20 kilometers behind Ukraine’s lines.

These are low-risk, high-reward operations, which suits Russia well as it isn’t risking a ton of men or equipment by sending out these small units. When you’re stretched thin, numbers start to matter.

Penetrate, disrupt, and seize

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi in front of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelya, June 2025. (Photo by 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelya/Militarnyi.com)

These small groups are meant to keep pressure on and stretch thin the Ukrainian forces by causing constant chaos.

The goals of these small assault groups are to first penetrate enemy lines, identify weak points and exploit them, and report these weaknesses to higher-level Russian forces. Once they’ve successfully penetrated, they can conduct disruption operations, for example paralyze Ukrainian logistics, disrupt troop rotations, and destroy much-needed supplies.

“Their main task is to penetrate as deeply as possible into our territory, to withdraw, regroup and advance again – then attack targets deep inside to paralyze our logistics and troop rotations,” Syrskyi said.

Finally, the small forces can even seize small bits of territory. Coordinated small attacks throughout the countryside can cause Ukrainian forces to retreat and refocus. This allows for small areas of territory to temporarily be lost shifting the Ukrainian’s military attention to seizing ground it shouldn’t have lost instead of focusing on the front lines.

To counter these raiding teams, Ukrainian forces have to increase security, which calls for more manpower and disrupts Kyiv’s operations.

The thousand-cuts tactic is also psychologically effective. You can never feel safe or content when small bands of Russians are roving the countryside, and commanders must plan for dealing with these forces on top of all other stressors they face and prepare for.

Related: Ukraine reveals new long-range cruise missile that can strike Moscow

A thousand band aids

However, Ukraine is countering these forces. According to Ukrainian commanders, these small assault forces are often captured or killed, which creates its own “thousand cut” effect on Russian troops. Ukraine is reportedly eliminating up to 200 Russians per day.

Encircling the Russian raid groups is one of the most successful tactics in dealing with them with elite Ukrainian airborne troops being incredibly effective in cutting them off. A mobile reserve was formed to specifically go after these raiders. Ukraine is also using UAVs to target these small assault teams.

The Ukrainian military has been patching up its “thousand cuts” rather well. While the Russian tactic proved successful throughout the summer, it seems like the Ukrainian forces have turned the tide through active defense.

A static defense allows the enemy to dictate the fight, but an active defense puts the Russian assault groups on their heels.

Feature Image: Chechen troops in Donbass, June 2022. (Photo by Gennadiy Dubovoy/Wikimedia Commons)

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