Russia has lost more than 930 soldiers per day in November as a result of heavy fighting in the disputed Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the highest monthly loss rate of the conflict since the invasion began in February 2022, British defense intelligence officials are reporting.
The casualty count surpasses March 2023, previously the deadliest reported month for Russia, with an average of 776 combat losses per day, the latest daily intelligence assessment from the U.K. said on Monday.
U.K. defense intelligence officials said they could not independently confirm the casualty rates reported by the Ukrainian General Staff, but said the figures are plausible — taken as a total including both killed and wounded — given the nature of the recent fighting.
“The last six weeks have likely seen some of the highest Russian casualty rates of the war so far,” British officials said Monday on social media. “The heavy losses have largely been caused by Russia’s offensive against the Donbas town of Avdiivka.”
The heavy fighting in occupied Ukraine also has forced Moscow to shift its stockpile of air defense weapons systems. The move follows an increase in losses of SA-21 missiles in late October 2023, British analysts said.
An apparent increase in Russian military air transport movements indicates the Kremlin is shifting hardware from its Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad to backfill the losses, the Monday report said.
Russia views its Kaliningrad enclave as one of its most strategically sensitive regions. It is Moscow’s most westerly outpost and is bordered on three sides by NATO countries.
“The fact that the Russian [Ministry of Defense appears willing to accept additional risk here highlights the overstretch the war has caused for some of Russia’s … capabilities,” British officials said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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