The Ukrainian Meat Grinder
70% of Ukrainian casualties are caused by artillery. This is the same ratio as in WWI.
The Lack of the “Golden Hour”
There’s no “Golden Hour” in Kherson or the Donbass: the wounded to killed ratio in Ukraine is 3:1. This is because it can take between several hours to a whole day for wounded soldiers to receive medical help and get evacuated. The intensity of the fighting at the front is so severe that the wounded cannot be easily evacuated. Roads leading to the front are subjected to surveillance and attacks in depth. It is almost impossible to bring in enough vehicles to the front to evacuate all the people who need it. It is not safe to do so, and Ukraine doesn’t have enough vehicles or the required logistics.
In battles such as those in Bakhmut, a first aid post often has to deal with more than 180 severe casualties daily.
Wounded personnel waiting all day for nightfall to arrive so they can be evacuated have a low survival rate.
The Contrast with Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the wounded to killed ratio was 10:1. The Golden Hour was the golden rule: a wounded soldier would be evacuated and taken care of within one hour of receiving injuries.
The war in Ukraine and its complexities and requirements are something European powers haven’t experienced since 1945…
-RBM.
