According to a top policy source at the Pentagon, Russia's military has lost 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers since its initial onslaught on Ukraine in late February.
The Russian death toll is greater than prior US figures. Late last month, CIA Director William Burns claimed that 15,000 Russians had perished and 45,000 had been injured in Ukraine.
Pentagon: As Many as 80,000 Russian Forces Killed, Injured
However, Burns admitted that intelligence estimates of battlefield casualties are "always a range," and "there's no perfect number." Russia likely incurred the majority of its casualties during the first phase of its invasion, when it attempted but failed to take Kyiv and western Ukraine beginning Feb. 24. Kremlin forces have subsequently repositioned to target the industrial powerhouse of Ukraine's east, known as the Donbas, with long-range missiles.
"The Russians are taking a great number of casualties," Colin Kahl, Defense Department assistant secretary for policy, told reporters. According to Kahl, the number of Russian deaths is extraordinary, given that Moscow has achieved none of Vladimir Putin's objectives" since invading Ukraine six months ago, The Hill reported.
The calculation of Russia's losses, which represents a significant rise above previous approximate estimates of Moscow's spending, comes as the US and Ukraine's other Western partners strive to break what observers regard as a deepening impasse in the former Soviet state.
The Biden administration and other NATO nations have concentrated on giving modern weaponry to its Ukrainian allies that can hit previously out-of-reach Russian command sites, such as HIMARS powerful satellite-guided rocket launchers. Kahl spoke only hours after the Defense Department revealed a new shipment of $1 billion in military aid, including additional HIMARS and ammo, increasing the total US aid to the Ukrainian military to over $12 billion.
According to US News & World Report via MSN, the battle in Ukraine has degraded into an exchange of artillery fire and other long-range weaponry after weeks of focusing on the country's east, where Russia originally invaded eight years ago, however recent estimates reveal Russia looks to be deploying soldiers south.
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US Sends Biggest Arms Package to Ukraine
The Biden administration promised $1 billion in extra military equipment to Ukraine on Monday, the greatest single drawdown of weapons from US inventories since Russia's incursion began over six months ago. More warheads for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and over 100,000 rounds of artillery and mortar ammunition are included in the security support package, which Ukrainians believe has helped change the tide of combat in the south and east.
The current pullback is the 18th since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, according to Pentagon sources. The new tranche has increased the total US security assistance to Ukraine to $9.8 billion since the start of the Biden administration. According to Kyiv officials, considerably more firepower is required to repel Russia's larger and better-armed army.
US authorities say they are working with Ukrainian defense officials to bring them what they need depending on the situation on the ground. At least 50 additional nations have also provided military assistance to Ukraine. British defense authorities and numerous top-level Russian military officers have been terminated as a result of their armed forces' poor performance during the invasion.
Kyiv and Moscow are accusing one other of attacking the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, over the weekend. The battle near the plant has raised worldwide concerns that nuclear activities may be jeopardized.
Even though the nuclear power plant has been under Russian control since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian experts continue to operate it. Both countries deny any involvement in the strike. Russian officials in Washington blamed Ukrainian nationalists, as per Washington Times.
