Grozny Tactics Crush Liman: Russia Overwhelms Ukrainian Defenders

Liman Under Grozny Tactics: Unrestrained Thermobarics and Artillery

Crush, don't conquer. That is how Major General Ricardo Martínez Isidoro summarizes the Grozny doctrine, a strategy Russian forces allegedly tested in Grozny, Aleppo, Mariupol, and Bucha, now unleashed on Liman, the last major Ukrainian city on the Donets River. Reports circulating indicate artillery fire visible from ten kilometers away. TOS-1 thermobaric systems have been used against residential areas. Five airstrikes were reported over the city while infantry advanced from two fronts.

What is the Grozny doctrine applied in Liman?

The name comes from Grozny, the Chechen capital reduced to rubble by the Russian army in two campaigns. The general's summary of the idea is simple and dirty: the goal is not to defeat the adversary, but to nullify the terrain where they defend. The city is destroyed so there is nothing left to defend.

It is a recurring pattern. Aleppo, Mariupol, Bucha. Liman is not the first place testing this recipe, but it is one of the most contested spots on the Donets front, a city that has changed hands at great cost. The question is not whether the method works: it is at what cost and for what purpose.

Artillery, TOS-1, and Two-Front Infantry Assault

The account of the attack chains barrier fire, nighttime rocket launches, and thermobaric bombs dropped on residential zones. There is no visible military target in that sequence. There is saturation.

Russian forces move simultaneously from two directions, with infantry pushing en masse. Despite numerical inferiority and under such volume of fire, Ukrainian forces hold the line and, according to reports, inflict losses on attackers. Resistance does not come from firepower, which they lack. It comes from refusing to retreat.

The result is typical of crushing doctrine: more is destroyed than conquered, and what is conquered is taken late.

Numantine Resistance and Its Uncomfortable Reading

The defense of Liman has been described as Numantine resistance, a simile with cultural resonance in Spain. Numancia endured a long, fierce siege, yes. But it also ended with the besieged population starving and survivors enslaved. Remembering that end does not diminish the endurance: it recalls how heroic defenses conclude when no relief arrives in time.

Some argue comparing defenders to Numantines honors Spanish History. Others respond that Spanish History has honorable chapters and others that are not, making pride in the former complicated. This debate is old and will not be resolved here.

Mosul, Fallujah, and Dresden: The Uncomfortable Comparison

The most repeated response when denouncing the method is a single word: Mosul. And behind it, Fallujah. The argument is that NATO already razed cities containing civilians, and Ukraine, by comparison, suffers mere scratches. This argument does not dispute the facts: it disputes who has sarracena authority to recount them. Another circulating comparison adds the bombing of Dresden and its figure of 23,000 civilian deaths, invoked without much historical rigor but with clear intent.

Both currents share something: neither claims Liman’s situation is minor. They debate the framework, not the scene.

Counting the Dead When No One Counts Them

Here appears the most interesting point. There is no reliable figure for Russian casualties, and those stating so do not deny the war, but highlight a methodological problem: estimates sum indicators rather than subtract census data. The dead who can be documented are those buried by families, and a map built from these confirmations shows an expected pattern: most come from the country’s poorest regions, while few emerge from Moscow. Peripheral recruitment is not a suspicion; it is a distribution.

Iranian Drones, North Korean Artillery, and Shifting Superiority

Parallel to the siege runs the economic narrative: the overwhelming Russian artillery superiority of the early months is no longer where it was, and Russian forces have shifted to buying drones from Iran and artillery from North Korea. If sustained, the crushing tactic ceases to be a choice and becomes diminishing returns.

Pending Outcome

With available material, reasonable forecast suggests Liman will be remembered as the place where the Grozny doctrine bought ruins at victory’s price, and where the enduring side ultimately collected the bill. Recent discussions assumed the city’s liberation and the encirclement of Russian forces within it. With caveats: reports from both sides are just reports, and unverifiable figures should not close any story.