Russia lost more than 70,000 soldiers — killed and wounded — during the fighting in Ukraine the past two months. Daily combat casualties reached 1,262 in May and 1,163 in June, British officials said Friday.
The uptick in Russian losses is likely related to Moscow’s decision to open a new front in the Kharkiv region while maintaining the same rate of offensive operations along the rest of the front, the U.K. officials said on X in their latest assessment of the fighting in Ukraine.
“Although this new approach has increased the pressure on the frontline, an effective Ukrainian defense and a lack of Russian training reduce Russia’s ability to exploit any tactical success, despite attempting to stretch the frontline further,” the officials said.
Russia’s daily casualty rate will likely continue to average more than 1,000 per day the next few months as Moscow continues to pour soldiers into Ukraine in an attempt to overmatch Kyiv, the Brits said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Kyiv Independent newspaper that Russian losses during their most recent offensive were eight times higher than those sustained by Ukraine’s armed forces.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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