Media Wire

Russia claims Ukraine has lost over 80k troops since January

Ukraine has lost more than 80,000 forces since the beginning of the year, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed on Tuesday, adding that the Russian military is continuing to reduce “the enemy’s combat potential".

More than 14,000 units of military hardware have also been destroyed by Russian forces since January, including 1,200 tanks and other armored combat vehicles. During the same period, Moscow has liberated some 403 square kilometers of Russia’s new territories, Shoigu said, speaking during a conference call with the country’s military leadership.

Despite Kiev’s lack of success on the battlefield, the Ukrainian leadership “is still trying to convince its Western sponsors of its ability to resist the Russian Army”, he said. To do so, Kiev has resorted to terrorism and long-range strikes on Russian territories, targeting the civilian population, the minister added.

“Our armed forces react asymmetrically to such crimes by Ukrainian militants,” the defense minister said. In March alone, the Russian military carried out 190 group strikes and two massive assaults on Ukraine using precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, which targeted the country’s military and energy infrastructure facilities, he continued.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian military had lost a total of 444,000 personnel since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022, including 166,000 during last year’s failed summer counteroffensive.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in February that only 31,000 of its soldiers had been killed since the start of the conflict. He did not reveal how many had been injured or gone missing in action.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military commanders have repeatedly complained about a significant shortage of manpower, prompting Kiev to seek new ways of replenishing its fighting force. This includes asking Ukraine’s Western supporters to send back draft dodgers who are hiding abroad, and lower the threshold for citizens to be recruited into military service.

Moscow has repeatedly described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war being waged against Russia by the US and its allies, and has accused the West of using Ukrainians as “cannon fodder” in pursuit of their own interests.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

Iran says will not negotiate under pressure and intimidation

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has stressed that Tehran is willing to hold nuclear…

42 minutes ago

IRGC deputy commander vows strong response to Israel

The Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, declared…

1 hour ago

UN Security Council condemns Israeli attacks on UNIFIL

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned recent Israeli attacks on the UN peacekeeping…

2 hours ago

Trump, Biden discuss Ukraine, Middle East in White House

US President-elect Donald Trump said he discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East…

3 hours ago

Iran’s oil output drops slightly in October: Report

Iran’s oil output fell slightly in October, according to figures by The Organization of the…

3 hours ago

Lebanon bombing victims’ Iran judgment overturned by US appeals court

A US appeals court has thrown out a $1.68 billion judgment against Iran's central bank…

4 hours ago