Russia and Ukraine

[Anomalocaris]

Yeah, sure, and if they're as good at that as they are at combat...they need all the help from ukranian snipers and artillery they can get.  I think you're looking at it the wrong way though, about attrition.  In a hub a spokes model none of the spokes are aware of each other.  The list of politically and militarily dispensable officers -thus fit for combat duty- and the list of indispensible officers to the grift probably have overlap.  Alot of it.

No one is going to be able to get you all those stripped parts better than the guy running the unit.  Your e-1s are the most enthusiastic profiteers.

the classical stalinist approach to military reform is to make sure no small fry has any choices besides performing or being killed.     if they fail to perform and manage to avoid being killed, they will be placed in penal battalions to perform such duties as walking through mine fields to clear land mines for other troops to correct the oversight.    If this kind of pressure adversely affect the performance of troops, just let the troops rape all the women they want, and pillaging any spoils they want, when they succeed in taking territory to blow off steam.