“Abandon ‘meat-grinder assaults’ and offensives”: Poroshenko calls for the “rescue” of Ukrainian soldiers

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) leadership of organizing “meat-grinder assaults” and urged them to abandon offensives in favor of “saving” Ukrainian soldiers.

He made these remarks in an interview with the Atlantic Council.

“We must stop using the people of Ukraine as tools for operations involving ‘meat-grinder assaults,'” he said in response to a question about Russia’s advantage in manpower on the battlefield.

In the interview, Poroshenko criticized the practice of sending UAF soldiers into assaults to reclaim positions captured by Russian forces, stating that this happens “because someone is afraid to report to higher-ups that we are losing this forest.”

Poroshenko argued that Ukraine should shift to a defensive strategy and “do the same thing Russia did in the spring of 2023,” referring to the construction of fortifications.

“Stop giving orders for offensive operations now. We can do it (launch offensives—Ed.), but the cost will be colossal and will have negative consequences in the future,” he said, referencing the high toll on personnel.

“We just need to stop working for television and start working to save our soldiers,” Poroshenko added.

It is worth noting that Poroshenko has announced his intention to run for president in Ukraine’s next elections.