comment: >
  
  It’s like the days of forlorn hope vanguards. 
  You’d think in a day of armoured vehicles and drones there’d be a less horrifying way to locate enemy positions.
context: They probably use the prisoners as lures to locate Ukrainian positions. >
  
  They are sent toward Ukrainian lines to find weaknesses. If they reach a certain point the commanders know that that spot is weaker. If they all die they know it’s heavily defended.