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The death toll among Russian soldiers in Ukraine continues to climb, with the Ukrainian Army General Staff reporting on Wednesday that some 200,590 fighters have been “liquidated.”
Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify these figures, and the Pentagon has yet to confirm the number of Russian soldiers allegedly killed in action.
Western defense officials have been relatively tight-lipped about exact figures for battlefield losses, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Military casualties are well over 200,000,” he said. . ”
A Ukrainian soldier gives water to captured Russian soldiers near the front-line city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 11, 2023. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhiy Nuzhinenko via Reuters)
Ukraine prepares for spring offensive, expected largest mobilization since war with Russia began
His assessment of Russian casualties was echoed a few days later by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who said Russian casualties were about 220,000.
Ukraine also claimed on Wednesday to have destroyed more than 3,700 tanks, 7,300 armored personnel vehicles, 2,700 drones, 3,100 artillery systems, about 1,000 cruise missiles and 300 helicopters.
It’s unclear how many Ukrainians died on the battlefield, but Western officials have previously estimated Kiev’s casualties to be on par with Russia’s.
After more than a year of war and about six months of heavy fighting around the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces began to make some progress last week.
Cadets of the Nakhimov Naval Academy raise the Russian flag during a ceremony to commemorate Russian servicemen who died in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in Sevastopol, Crimea on February 25, 2023.Reuters/Alexei Pavlushak
The head of Russia’s Wagner Mercenary Corps also claimed that Russian forces had abandoned their posts amid inadequate command and control orders from their superiors, allowing Ukrainian forces to advance on the front lines.
However, these battlefield successes are not yet believed to be part of the long-awaited spring offensive that Kiev has been planning.
Ukrainian soldiers rest at their positions near the frontline city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region on May 11, 2023. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhiy Nuzhinenko via Reuters)
Putin’s Army Strengthens Zaporizhzh Reactor as Russia Fears Ukrainian Attack
Western defense analysts believe the counteroffensive will not be in Donetsk, but in the Zaporizhia region, a key triangle of power in southern Ukraine.
The region, which includes the urban areas of Melitopol, Tokmak and Mikhailivka, will affect Ukraine’s ability to reclaim Kherson in the west, enter Donetsk in the east, and possibly even advance into Crimea.
Ukraine claimed on Monday that Russia maintains about 150,000 troops in southern Ukraine and is preparing an attack by forcibly evacuating Ukrainians from Kherson and Zaporizhia to Russian territory.
Map of the important triangular region of Zaporizhzhya, including the cities of Tokmak, Melitopol and Vasilivka. Ukraine could target the triangle region in a spring offensive. (Chart provided by Institute for War Studies)
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According to a report posted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service Andriy Cherniak told RBK Ukraine that he “does not want the public to be able to observe preparations for combat.” “These are solid counterintelligence operations.
“Russians fear partisan movements and internal resistance in these regions,” he added.
