Russia has lost 199,980 troops since invading Ukraine, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The report claims that 520 casualties happened on Monday, May 15 alone.
Ukraine’s officials also estimate that Moscow has lost:
- 3,762 tanks
- 7,348 armoured fighting vehicles
- 6,048 vehicles and fuel tanks
- 3,150 artillery systems
- 562 multiple launch rocket systems
- 316 air defence systems
- 308 airplanes
- 294 helicopters
- 2,732 drones
- 973 missiles
- 18 boats
The report was announced shortly before Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, told Sky News that the number of lives lost in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut will one day “make the history books”.
It remains unclear how many troops Ukraine has lost over the course of the war.
Asked by Kay Burley about why Ukraine does not reveal its own losses, Prystaiko said: “We are 18 times smaller than Russia, we have to find the strength to fight back.
“We have to find soldiers among civilians, that’s what we are doing right now, we’re training them – so we don’t want the enemy to know how much resource we still have. But we have enough.”
Bakhmut is at the heart of the fighting right now.
Russia wants to capture Bakhmut in its entirety, but Ukraine celebrated its first successful counterattack in the region on Monday, as it is finally managing to push back its advancing opponents.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of ground forces, praised his troops’ efforts on the Telegram messaging app, writing: “The last few days have shown that we can move forward and destroy the enemy even in such extremely difficult conditions.
“We are fighting with fewer resources than the enemy. At the same time, we are able to ruin its plans.”
According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the Wagner Group – the paramilitaries fighting on Russia’s behalf – is making gradual progress in “clearing Ukrainian positions” in Bakhmut.
But, it added: “Over the last four days, Ukrainian forces have made tactical progress stabilising the flanks of Bakhmut to their advantage.
“As well as progress to the south of town, Ukrainian assaults have forced back the Russian frontline to the north-west of the town.”
The UK intelligence also claimed: “Ukraine is holding Russia’s western advances along the line of Donetsk-Donbas Canal.”