Russian casualties in Ukraine approaching 200,000, says New York Times
Destroyed Russian equipment (Photo:General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
The number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000, U.S. newspaper The New York Times reported on Feb. 3, citing U.S. and other Western officials.
These losses, over just 11 months, are eight times higher than U.S. casualties sustained in the two decades of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
While the officials caution that casualties are notoriously difficult to estimate, particularly because Russia is believed to routinely undercount its war dead and injured, they say the casualty toll from fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and the town of Soledar has ballooned what was already a heavy toll.
At the same time, Russia analysts say that the loss of life is unlikely to be a deterrent to Putin’s war aims.
“U.S. officials have said that they believe that Putin can sustain hundreds of thousands of casualties in Ukraine, although higher numbers could cut into his political support,” NYT reported.
In an interview on Jan. 31, a senior Pentagon official pointed to myriad Russian military supply and tactical problems to explain the Russian tactics. According to Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin H. Kahl, Russia is running low on artillery and munitions.
“Moscow has thrown people it sees as expendable into battles for decades, if not centuries,” the report further explains.
“During World War II, Josef Stalin sent close to 1 million prisoners to the front.”
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a Facebook post on Feb. 2 that Russia has already lost 129,030 soldiers killed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The enemy lost 610 soldiers combat over the last 24 hours.
The total enemy combat losses from Feb. 24 to Feb. 2 are as follows (change over the previous day in parentheses):
- Personnel – about 129,030 (+610);
- Tanks – 3,211 (+2);
- Armored combat vehicles – 6,382 (+0);
- Artillery systems – 2,212 (+5);
- Multiple launch rocket systems – 458 (+0);
- Air defense systems – 222 (+1);
- Warplanes – 293 (+0);
- Helicopters – 284 (+0);
- UAV operational-tactical level – 1,951 (+0);
- Cruise missiles – 796 (+0);
- Warships / boats – 18 (+0);
- Motor vehicles and fuel tankers – 5,064 (+3);
- Special equipment – 200 (+0).
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