Since the start of Russia’s invasion Russian troop casualties have surpassed 12,000 and the Kremlin has lost over 1,205 armored vehicles, 362 tanks, 58 warplanes, and 83 helicopters, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
KIYV- Ukraine has shown remarkable strength amid Russian aggression, killing thousands of invaders and inflicting over $5 billion worth of losses on the Kremlin’s military equipment, per Ukrainian news outlet Ukrinform.
“The number of killed Russian servicemen on the territory of Ukraine already exceeds 12,000 people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday. “The number of wounded invaders is many times bigger. We did not invite any of them here. And we repeat to each of the invaders, you can still save yourself at any moment. Just lay down your weapons and go home. Leave our land.”
The Kremlin hasn’t released statistics about its losses since March 2, when it pegged the number of Russians killed at roughly 500. Warring nations have public relations incentives to sway casualty count estimates.
Earlier this week, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said his “low confidence” estimate is that between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting. Another U.S. official put the interval a bit higher at between 5,000 and 6,000, according to CBS.
The statistic eclipses many other global conflicts. During the course of two U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, roughly 7,000 soldiers died in the fighting, according to the Department of Defense. The estimate did not include military contractors.
There were roughly 2,000 to 4,000 Ukrainian troops killed in the war, per CBS. On Saturday, Zelensky gave a lower estimate of about 1,300 Ukrainian soldier casualties, NBC reported.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion, the Kremlin has lost over 1,205 armored vehicles, 362 tanks, 58 warplanes, and 83 helicopters, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The war broke out in late February, so the two countries have been fighting for over two weeks.
Information on Russian invasion
— MFA of Ukraine ?? (@MFA_Ukraine) March 12, 2022
Losses of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, March 12 pic.twitter.com/tlESpLpuGX
On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report estimating that 516 civilians had been killed and 908 wounded during the course of the war. The agency cautioned that the real number is likely much higher.
Ukraine and Russia have been negotiating behind the scenes, hoping to cut a deal to end the war. Zelensky has floated a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Israel, and Putin has signaled that some progress had been made in the negotiations.
The fighting has intensified over recent days near key cities such as Mariupol, Kyiv, and Kharkiv, which have been among Russia’s top targets.
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
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