(RepublicanNews.org) – More than 250,000 Russian troops have been killed since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, according to numbers released on August 7th by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Newsweek reports that Ukraine’s tally has not been independently verified and that other estimates place the number of Russians dead more conservatively. On July 17th, the outgoing U.K. Defense Secretary said the same number of Russians were listed as either killed, missing, or injured.
Another report compiled by a German data scientist using Russian government numbers suggested that around 50,000 troops had been killed as of early July 2023. Only about 6,000 deaths have been publicly acknowledged by the Kremlin.
The number of Russian dead claimed by Ukraine’s General Staff comes as the country is embedded in a reported counteroffensive aimed at taking back territory from Russian forces.
In their recent intelligence update, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense said that Russian troops stationed in the south of Ukraine are “likely struggling” through “battle fatigue.” The same report said that due to a lack of combat-experienced reservists, Russian forces are experiencing “degradation.”
Ukraine’s ability to wage war against Moscow varies between outlets. One senior diplomat from a NATO country told CNN that they think “it’s extremely, highly unlikely” that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will “change the balance” of the war.
Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley remarked that his “briefings are sobering” after returning to the U.S. from meetings with American and Ukrainian military commanders. Another U.S. official said that the counteroffensive is “going harder and slower” than had been anticipated.
Coinciding with Ukraine’s pushback against Russia were stories that suggested the small country’s supply of artillery rounds was dwindling. It was reported that the U.S. and other NATO members were struggling to supply the country with what they needed in order to maintain their counteroffensive. Western countries promised to increase production, but timeframes for delivery were unclear.
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