Russia lists Ukraine's losses

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Photo: TASS).

"According to data from the Russian Defense Ministry , over the past month alone, more than 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and wounded. In addition, Ukraine lost 8 combat aircraft, 277 unmanned aerial vehicles, 430 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 18 multiple rocket launchers, 225 guns and mortars," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on May 2.

Ukraine's human losses in April were higher than in February, while equipment losses were higher than in January "despite unprecedented Western military aid," Shoigu said.

On the same day, Mr. Andrey Marochko, a former official of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, said that Ukraine's human and equipment losses in some conflict areas such as Kupyansk, Krasny Liman, Donetsk in the past week doubled compared to the previous week.

Specifically, in just one week, the number of Ukrainian soldiers and foreign mercenaries killed increased by nearly 1,000, and the number of military vehicles destroyed also increased from 53 to 102.

Both Russia and Ukraine have kept their losses relatively low since the conflict began in February last year. A classified US Defense Department document leaked last month estimated that between 124,000 and 131,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Kiev said the information in the leaked document was inaccurate, but refused to release casualties.

Russia rejects US loss assessment

In a related development, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on May 1 also gave Washington's assessment of Russia's losses.

"Russia has depleted its military reserves and armed forces. Since December of last year alone, we estimate that Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties, including more than 20,000 on the battlefield," Kirby said.

Mr. Kirby cited newly declassified intelligence information saying that about half of the dead were members of the Russian private military company Wagner, which has joined the regular Russian army in fighting in Ukraine, especially on the eastern front.

However, Moscow rejected the above assessment.

"Washington can never give exact figures. You should only be interested in the figures that the (Russian) Defense Ministry will announce at the appropriate time," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The last time Moscow announced its losses in the special military operation in Ukraine was in September last year, when Defense Minister Shoigu said that nearly 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.

At today's meeting with military officials, Minister Shoigu affirmed that Russia's defense industry still has enough ammunition for the troops, meeting the needs of the military campaign in Ukraine.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-neu-ton-that-cua-ukraine-20230502201218767.htm