The UK’s top defense official said on Wednesday that Russia has seen some 220,000 deaths and injuries Since the war began the estimate has more than doubled less than six months ago.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace made the remark while speaking with his Swedish counterpart during a press event in London, citing figures provided by a US assessment.
Although the Pentagon has not released a casualty estimate that high, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday that the United States estimates that “the Russians have more than 200,000 casualties.” victim”.
A Ukrainian military unit fires missiles at Russian front-line positions near Pakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, November 24, 2022. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, file)
Russian forces stalled in eastern and southern Ukraine demand Kiev to ‘stabilize’ the Bakhmut sector
He continued, “Their offensive aspirations have basically stopped. Their capabilities have stopped, and their ground forces have been completely sabotaged on this Ukrainian bayonet, so to speak.” This is largely due to the resources provided by the United States and other countries.”
Reports emerged last month indicating this Russian losses were estimated approaching 200,000 with the number of dead and wounded around 180,000.
The last time Milley published US estimates of Russian casualties was in November, when the US believed nearly 100,000 had been killed or wounded on both sides of the war effort.
Ukrainian soldiers seek cover in a trench during Russian shelling on the front line near Pakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos, file)
This means that, according to US estimates, Russia has lost nearly 100,000 soldiers in less than six months, with up to 40,000 of them killed or wounded since early February.
Ukraine has repeatedly claimed Moscow is seeing heavy losses on the battlefield Russian war efforts, particularly in hotly contested regions such as Bakhmut, have slowed in recent days, Western defense officials said.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense also assessed on Wednesday that Moscow was likely starting to see a “personnel shortage”, with at least 5,000 Wagner conscripts having been pardoned after serving six months in the war.
Ukrainian forces drive toward Bakhmut in BMP infantry fighting vehicles, in eastern Ukraine on March 22, 2023. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)
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Ukraine is preparing for another counterattack as more advanced Western aid continues to flow and fears of a faltering Russian winter offensive fade.
Reports indicated that Ukraine had managed to strike deeper into Russian-controlled territory in the south, and that Kiev’s forces in Donetsk had begun to “stabilize” the situation around Bakhmut.