WASHINGTON: More than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since December in the war against Ukraine, the United States estimates.
According to John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson using recently declassified intelligence, an additional 80,000 people have been injured. The Wagner mercenary company attacked the eastern Bakhmut city and is responsible for half of these deaths.
Since last year, Russia has been fighting a grinding war of attrition to seize control of the little city. The majority of Bakhmut is currently under the hands of Moscow, but certain western areas are still under the control of Ukrainian forces. Both sides have placed much symbolic significance on the bloody conflict.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the conflict is being used to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible and deplete their reserves. Kirby says, “Russia’s attempt at an offensive in the Donbas [region] has failed, largely through Bakhmut.” “Russia has been unable to annex any crucial land. “We estimate that Russia has suffered over 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action,” he continued. According to US statistics, the toll in Bakhmut accounts for losses since the beginning of December.
After months of fighting and unprecedented losses, Russia’s offensive effort has ultimately backfired, according to Kirby. He said, “They are the victims here. Therefore, I’m not going to estimate casualties for the Ukrainians. Russia is the warmonger. Moscow has not responded, and the BBC cannot verify the provided data independently.
By taking the city, Russia would be a little closer to its objective of dominating the entire Donetsk region, one of the four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine that it annexed last September after holding fraudulent referendums that were roundly denounced outside of Russia.
Analysts claim Bakhmut has limited strategic significance, but it has still been a focus for Russian commanders who have found it challenging to provide good news to the Kremlin.
The Wagner mercenary outfit, which frequently employs prisoners and has earned a bad reputation for its often cruel tactics, has assumed a prominent role in the Russian attack on Bakhmut. Yevgeny Prigozhin, its commander, has placed his name and his private army’s reputation on capturing the city. However, he recently made a threat to withdraw his troops from Bakhmut.
In an unusual in-depth interview with a well-known Russian war blogger, he threatened to withdraw Wagner fighters if the Russian defence ministry did not give them urgently needed ammunition. He forewarned that Wagner fighters might be sent to Mali.
Throughout the war, he has frequently argued with Russia’s defence ministry, claiming that officials aren’t supporting his fighters enough. In advance of what is anticipated to be an onslaught by the Ukrainian military in the spring, Prigozhin urged the Russian military and media to “stop lying to the Russian population.”
He said, “We need to stop lying to the Russian people that everything is all right.” He praised the Ukrainian military’s “good, correct military command and operations.”
On Monday, a senior Ukrainian commander claimed that although counterattacks had driven out Russian forces from some locations near Bakhmut, the situation remained “difficult”.
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, claimed on Telegram that new Russian units, including paratroopers and fighters from Wagner, are “constantly thrown into battle” despite suffering significant losses. However, he added, “The enemy is unable to take control of the city.”
