Ukraine losing large number of troops as it boasts of Russian casualties

While Ukraine has been boasting about taking out massive numbers of Russian soldiers — including a record day for casualties last week — Kyiv has also been losing a staggering number of its own troops.

Western intelligence sources estimate that each side has suffered approximately 150,000 casualties since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Agence France-Presse reported.

Norway’s defense chief Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen said last month on Norwegian TV that the most recent intelligence suggests that Ukraine has lost 100,000 troops and 30,000 civilians in the course of the war.

Meanwhile, Kristoffersen said Russia had 180,000 soldiers who were either wounded, killed or missing.

More recently, US officials said Russian casualties are fast approaching 200,000, according to reporting from the New York Times, citing American and other Western officials.

Both Kyiv and Moscow regularly make claims about the total number of enemy casualties, though these figures are often seen as unreliable by foreign intelligence.

On Monday, a Ukrainian official claimed that over 5,000 Russian soldiers were killed when the 155th naval infantry troops stormed the coal-mining town of Vuhledar in late January.

During that blitz, Ukraine claimed soldiers killed the brigade’s command staff and wrecked 130 pieces of equipment, including 36 tanks.

Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, head of the united press center of the Tavriskiy District of Ukrainian defense forces, has claimed Russian forces have lost between 150 and 300 marines a day.

Last week, Ukraine’s military boldly claimed Russian troops suffered the deadliest day of fighting yet, with military deaths increasing by 1,030 overnight.

Those numbers put the total death toll of Russian troops at 133,190, according to Kyiv.

Russia has also claimed to have killed a large number of Ukrainian troops in recent weeks, reporting that there were 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in January alone.

In total, some 30,000 to 40,000 Ukrainian civilians have lost their lives amidst the conflict, AFP reported, citing Western sources.

Ukrainian authorities have said that at least 400 children have been killed.

Despite the heavy losses, Kristoffersen said Russia will be able to continue the war “for quite a long time.”

“What worries most is whether Ukraine is going to be able to keep the Russian air force out of the war,” he said, noting they have been able to thus far because of Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses.