Russian forces in Ukraine have lost more than 3,400 soldiers since March 10, according to data released Friday by Kyiv’s military.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in addition to 3,440 casualties, Russia also lost 19 tanks, 75 armored fighting vehicles, 81 artillery systems and 113 drones during the same period.
According to Ukraine’s tally, Russia has lost a total of 428,420 troops since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24, 2022. Putin’s military has also lost 6,758 tanks, 11,921 armored fighting vehicles and 7,209 drones during the course of the war.
Newsweek has not been able to verify these figures independently, and the Russian Ministry of Defense was contacted on Friday via email for comment.
Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Tallies for Russian casualties have been difficult to confirm throughout the war, and Ukraine’s figures are higher than many other estimates. The Kremlin rarely releases its own numbers, and when it does, the figures are thought to be undercounted.
Ukraine’s military on Friday also reported that in the past 24 hours, its forces had successfully repelled 54 Russian drone attacks in areas around the settlements of the Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka sectors, as well as three Russian assaults in the sector around the city of Kherson.
The report added that the Russian army carried out eight missile attacks, 57 airstrikes and 46 Multiple Launch Rocket System attacks on positions of the Ukraine military and populated areas.
“As a result of Russian terrorist actions, unfortunately, there are victims among the civilian population. High-rise and private buildings, as well as other infrastructure objects, were destroyed and damaged,” the General Staff wrote.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force struck seven areas where Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment were located.
Cross-border attacks also continued along Russia’s border with Ukraine, where pro-Kyiv Russian militia groups claimed to have taken control of a village in the Kursk region earlier this week.
Attacks in the border regions of Russia escalated this week, leading the Kremlin to denounce the operations as attempts to disrupt Russia’s presidential election.
The three-day election, which Putin is expected to win by a landslide in a contest widely accused of being rigged, began on Friday. The start of voting was met by protesters pouring dye in ballot boxes, reported cyber attacks by Ukraine and a woman throwing a Molotov cocktail at a polling site.
According to the BBC, Russian-appointed officials in occupied territories of Ukraine also said that an explosive device was detonated in a trash bin outside a polling station in Skadovsk. No injuries were reported in the attack.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.