Russia dries up in Ukraine. Nearly nine out of 10 soldiers assigned to the war against Ukraine by Russian forces at the start of the invasion are dead, missing, captured or wounded. This is the conclusion of an evaluation by the American secret services. It also shows significant losses of military equipment.
Nearly two years after Vladimir Putin’s regime invaded its neighbor, a costly war of attrition is raging on the battlefield in Ukraine. A Ukrainian counter-offensive, on which many in the West had pinned their hopes, stalled in Russian minefields during the fall, and Russian air superiority allowed only a few significant advances to be made.
Ukraine hopes for a turnaround
With further help from the West, the defenders hope for a turnaround. On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington to lobby for more US military aid for his beleaguered country. Just in time, the US secret services sent an assessment of Russian losses to parliament in Washington, as an unnamed source confirmed to US broadcaster CNN.
The information from US intelligence is telling: Since the start of the war, Russia has lost 87 percent of its troops assigned to the invasion. So the soldiers are either killed in battle, captured, missing, or so badly injured that they cannot continue fighting.
Russia lost 315,000 soldiers
A total of 360,000 troops loyal to Moscow invaded Ukraine, of which Russia lost 315,000 by the end of November. The total number of active Russian forces was 900,000 men. Of the 3,500 battle tanks that the Russian army threw into battle, 2,200 were destroyed or captured. For armored vehicles and troop transports, the loss rate was 32 percent. 4,400 of the 13,600 vehicles were destroyed.
The US figures, considered reliable, are surprisingly close to those regularly published by the Ukrainian General Staff and are generally considered exaggerated by Western military experts. According to this information, Russia had lost 341,500 men by December 13.
There is a lack of equipment for larger offensives
“Since late November, Russia has lost more than a quarter of its stockpile of pre-invasion ground force equipment,” CNN quoted the intelligence report as saying. This has “reduced the complexity and scope of Russia’s offensive operations, which have not yielded major successes in Ukraine since early 2022.” In other words, the invaders lacked the equipment for decisive breakthroughs. But the Ukrainian defenders feel the same way. Kiev is unlikely to make any major progress in retaking the occupied territory in the coming months.
Whether that changes largely depends on the US. In the meantime, additional military aid worth a total of 60 billion dollars (approximately 56 billion euros) remains pending. It remains to be seen whether Zelensky’s efforts to convince the US Congress have been fruitful. Certainly the purpose of leaking US intelligence reporting on Russian losses to the US Congress was to clearly demonstrate to parliamentarians that Western military aid is highly effective.
Biden must temper the prospects
During his visit to his Ukrainian counterpart, US President Joe Biden tempered the prospect of further aid being approved quickly. He admitted that he could make “no promises”, but hoped that an agreement would be reached in Congress – where Republican members in particular are putting on the brakes. At the same time, he released $200 million in aid for Kiev.
With further support from the US, EU and other Western partners, Zelensky hopes to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses by 2024 to regain sovereignty over its airspace. Zelenskyjs also expects success on the ground.
In numerical terms, Russia was able to make up for the heavy losses of the past two years. However, to do this required lowering standards in soldier recruitment and using outdated Soviet-era equipment.
Putin relies on trench warfare
Whatever the case, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to further advance his troops. He apparently also expects that hardly any maneuvers will be possible in Ukraine in the coming cold months. “Russia appears to believe that a winter military standoff will remove Western support for Ukraine and ultimately give Russia an advantage, despite losses and continued shortages of trained personnel, ammunition and equipment,” a spokesperson for the US National Security Council told CNN.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
