“It's time for Ukrainians to leave!”: Slaidins on the section of the front where one Ukrainian is up against eight Russians 0 7

“There are many challenges. First of all, the Russians completely control this salient by fire, and the numerical superiority is estimated at eight to one, and many say that it’s time for the Ukrainians to leave,” said Major of the National Armed Forces, Zemessardze staff officer Janis Slaidins in the TV24 program “Current on Combat Operations.”

He noted that this is the complex psychology of war — one has to fight with all their might not for victory, but for holding positions.

“Retreat is a very complicated process, it can lead to significant losses, but what decision Ukraine will make is still unclear,” Slaidins noted.

He also reminded that the Russians are increasingly using heavy combat equipment in their offensives. According to Ukrainians, this indicates panic in the Russian troops, as the task set from “above” must be accomplished at any cost and certain populated areas must be occupied.

Slaidins emphasized that such tactics may seem vulnerable, for example, due to fog, through which drones “cannot see,” however, in reality, videos show the opposite — even early in the morning, drones successfully hit Russian equipment.

The Russians attack in large columns, hoping that at least parts of the units will manage to accomplish the task. They begin to gather about 15 kilometers from the front line — already within the range of Ukrainian artillery. As they close in to 7–8 kilometers, drones start to operate against them, and only a few manage to break through to the intended target.

In most cases, Russian infantrymen perish, and equipment is destroyed. As Slaidins explained, the calculation is simple: at least one or two armored vehicles can retreat, and groups of infantry can burrow into forests or ditches to gather strength for further advancement.

According to the latest data, the Russians are advancing an average of 8 square kilometers per day. In comparison, during the same period last year, the pace was 35–45 square kilometers per day.

“There is pressure, but the entire burden of the fight is borne by the ordinary infantryman,” emphasizes Slaidins.

He also touched on the numbers. According to Russian data, there are currently about 700,000 troops in Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, in February 2022, there were 200,000 regular troops at the front, to which another 300,000 from the so-called LPR and DPR joined. In September 2022, mobilization took place, during which about 300,000 more were called up, and in 2023, according to Putin, about 480,000 more.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, an additional 240,000 were added in 2025. Together with prisoners and mercenaries, this amounts to about 1 million 770 thousand military personnel. If about 700,000 are currently in Ukraine, the question arises — where are the others?

“This is not a lie — the Russians have over a million dead, missing, and wounded. That is a lot,” emphasized Slaidins.