(StraightNews.org) – Ukraine is celebrating killing or wounding more than 500,000 Russian soldiers. Local reports described the figure as a “psychologically important milestone” that will likely boost the nation’s confidence. Some reporters said it was a “colossal achievement” by the smaller country’s underdog military.
Experts say, however, that the figure is difficult to verify, and Ukraine’s previous casualty assessments have been disputed. For example, in March, Ukraine’s government said it had killed or wounded 415,000 Russian troops, but the UK’s intelligence services said the number was realistically closer to 300,000. Conversely, Russia claims it has wiped out 300,000 Ukrainian soldiers, but Kyiv said this was “deceitful.”
Similarly, in a separate report, an independent British monitoring group “confirmed” that just 50,000 Russians had died. The BBC said the figure was derived from monitoring graveyards, media reports, and social media but admitted that the actual number is likely higher.
In December last year, US intelligence services put the figure of Russian dead at 315,000, which accounts for almost 90% of the entire pre-war Russian army. The private mercenary group Wagner reportedly lost 22,000, but none of these figures can receive independent verification.
According to the United Nations, which has a monitoring mission in Ukraine, more than 30,000 civilians have either died or been injured since the start of the conflict in 2022. This includes just over 10,000 fatalities.
In addition to the 500,000 casualties claimed by Ukraine, the Russians have reportedly lost 22,000 tanks and 700 aircraft. The news comes as insiders report losses of 1,100 Russian troops per day in the bloody battle unfolding in the city of Kharkiv, near Russia’s border.
Meanwhile, Moscow has warned of “fatal consequences” after a US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was used in an attack on Russian soil. The attack occurred days after President Biden permitted Ukraine to deploy American weapons to retaliate against Moscow’s bombardment of Kharkiv. Previously, US munitions could only be used on targets outside mainland Russia.
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