Ukraine War: Soldier Admits 'No One Counts the Dead' in Ukraine Town Under Heavy Attack by Russia

A Ukrainian soldier battling in the eastern village of Soledar stated that the current death toll is so high that "no one counts the dead."

The fighter is a member of the 46th air mobile brigade, which is leading Ukraine's defense of Soledar against a large assault by Russian forces and Wagner mercenaries.

Ukraine War Death Toll

He depicted a dynamic battlefield in which structures shift hands everyday and units are unable to follow the rising death toll.

As of Tuesday night, the soldier stated that it was unknown how much of the city was held by the Russians: "No one can definitively tell who moved where and who has what since nobody knows for certain. In the city, there is a vast grey region that everyone claims to manage, [but] this is only meaningless hype."

The Ukrainians have suffered significant losses in Soledar, but their numbers are being reinforced as the battle for the mining city continues. Per CNN, the soldier stated that he anticipated Ukraine's military authorities would ultimately leave the Soledar battle and questioned why they hadn't done so yet.

Tuesday, the 46th air mobile brigade reported on its Telegram channel that the situation in Soledar was "very challenging, but controllable."

In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commended the brigade's members "for their valor and perseverance in protecting Soledar."

There appears to be no proof that Russia killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers over the weekend in response to a devastating offensive launched by Kyiv during the New Year's holiday. TASS stated that Moscow says it killed around 600 Ukrainians in a missile attack on temporary outposts in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Sunday.

There appears to be little evidence, however, to back the Russian assertion. Multiple journalists from major organizations visited the location and stated that there were no signs of mass casualties. According to a Reuters investigation, there were no visible indicators that soldiers had inhabited the building.

Additionally, Ukrainian officials have denied Moscow's assertion. The mayor of Kramatorsk stated that no troops were killed or injured, while Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military, told CNN that Russia's claims are "nonsense."

Russia Fabricates Evidence of Failure

Even Russian mil-bloggers have questioned the Kremlin's claims and criticized Moscow's military leadership for fabricating evidence to make it appear that Russia successfully retaliated for a recent Ukrainian attack that killed dozens of Russian troops, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War in Washington.

According to ISW, critics asserted that Russia's defense ministry often makes false statements and criticized the leadership for constructing a tale of retribution rather than addressing the shortcomings that led to Russian casualties.

According to TASS, the Kramatorsk offensive was conducted in retaliation for a deadly Ukrainian assault on Russian soldiers over the New Year's holiday. Using a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) supplied by the United States, Kyiv attacked Russian troops in the captured city of Makiivka.

In an unusual acknowledgment of military fatalities, the Kremlin reported that the onslaught killed roughly 90 Moscow forces. The Ukrainian military provided a far higher death toll, alleging that up to 400 soldiers were killed and another 300 were injured. Both estimations could not be independently confirmed.

The strike quickly prompted widespread condemnation of Russia's military leadership and calls for the punishment of prominent officials. Later, Moscow blamed the attack on the usage of smartphones by its own forces, which, according to Russia, allowed the Ukrainians to pinpoint their location and launch the attack.

Many in both Russia and Ukraine disregarded this story. The Russians' casualties at Makiivka have been linked to their commanders' grave errors in stationing soldiers in close proximity to ammo stores within shooting range. These acts are seen as egregious errors.