Kiev said Russian forces suffered one of the highest daily troop losses since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The forces fighting for Vladimir Putin have faced an increase in casualties and equipment losses since they launched an offensive for Avdiivka in early October. It is an industrial center in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region that has long been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
In its update on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia had lost 1,130 soldiers the previous day, bringing the total number of casualties in the 20 months of war to 310,650. Newsweek the Russian Defense Ministry has asked for comment.
This is Kiev’s highest daily estimate since October 19, when it said Russia had lost 1,380 soldiers, and the second time in three days the figure had exceeded 1,000. Newsweek could not independently verify the numbers. Estimates of the death toll vary, with Kiev’s numbers typically exceeding those of its Western allies.
Ukraine’s reported death toll from Russian troop losses has gradually increased from 300 to 600 a day since early July to 600 to 1,000 soldiers since early October. Earlier this month, Kiev announced that Russian losses had exceeded 300,000. Newsweek has not been able to independently verify the numbers.
Ukraine’s 56th Brigade fires an AZP S-60 (S-60 automatic anti-aircraft gun) in Bakhmut District, Ukraine, Nov. 10, 2023. Ukraine said on November 11, 2023 that Russian forces had lost 1,130 soldiers the previous day. Kostya Liberov/Getty Images
An exact number of Russian casualties is difficult to determine, and Ukraine’s figure is higher than other estimates. The investigative agency Mediazona worked with the Russian service BBC News and, citing publicly available sources, said that 35,780 Russian soldiers had been killed as of November 3. The media added that the actual number of deaths was likely much higher.
They had previously stated that 47,000 Russian soldiers had been killed by the end of May 2023. Russia has not updated its tally since September 2022, when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed.
In late October, British defense officials said Russia’s losses totaled up to 190,000 troops, including dead and permanently injured. This number did not include the soldiers of the Wagner mercenary group, who died in their thousands in the battle for Bakhmut.
At the time, the British Ministry of Defense said the battle for Avdiivka was responsible for the increase in Russian casualties, consistent with an assessment by spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s Tavria group, Oleksandr Shtupun, on Saturday.
He told Ukrainian television that Kiev’s forces had repelled 35 Russian attacks on Avdiivka and nearby settlements. He said that in the Tavria group’s jurisdiction, the number of victims in Moscow increased by almost 30 percent compared to previous days.
“The enemy became more active in the Avdiivka direction,” Shtupun said, according to the newspaper Kiev independent“In addition to the infantry, a significant amount of armored vehicles will be deployed.”
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Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.
Source : www.newsweek.com