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US says Russia lost 100,000 fighters in Ukraine killed and wounded in five months

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US intelligence services estimate it 20,000 Russian fighters died in Ukraine since December and another 80,000 have been wounded in combat, a White House spokesman said on Monday.

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“Since December, we estimate that Russia has had more than 100,000 fighters‘s killed or wounded, including 20,000 killed in combat,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.

Stressed that half of the dead belonged to the Russian private military group Wagnerand were mostly ex-prisoners “thrown into fighting in Bakhmut (Eastern Ukraine) without sufficient military training or command”.

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“The bottom line is that Russia’s attempted offensive has failed after months of fighting and extraordinary losses”, Kirby said.

A Ukrainian tank advances in the Kharkiv region.  photo by AFP

A Ukrainian tank advances in the Kharkiv region. photo by AFP

Donbass

Separately, the spokesman declined to comment on the losses suffered by Ukraine, which is supported by a US-led coalition of Western countries.

It’s up to them to talk about it or not. I will never make anything public that makes things difficult for them. They are the victims, Russia is the aggressor“, he has declared.

Most of the fighting in Ukraine in recent weeks has centered around in the eastern region of Donbassparticularly in the city of Bakhmut.

A funeral in the Kiev cemetery of a Ukrainian soldier.  Photo EFE

A funeral in the Kiev cemetery of a Ukrainian soldier. Photo EFE

The Russians have advanced very gradually into this largely destroyed industrial city, of which they claim to control up to 80%.

In November, General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that 100,000 combatants on each side had been killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022.

But US officials believe losses have increased for Russia as it has sent waves of poorly trained recruits and detainees to the front lines.

The numbers

Estimating casualties is notoriously difficult. Moscow is not believed to count those killed or wounded on the battlefield, and Kirby did not provide specific details on how the United States calculated Russia’s losses, other than to say that this was confirmed intelligence.

A set of leaked Pentagon documents revealed in April included a US estimate that, in February, Russia it had suffered between 189,500 and 223,000 casualties, including up to 43,000 killed in action. The document also estimated that Ukraine suffered between 124,500 and 131,000 casualties, with up to 17,500 killed in action.

Kiev has also been reluctant to disclose wartime losses and Kirby did not provide any updates on Ukrainian casualties on Monday.

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Source: Clarin

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