Russia suffered large losses of troops and military materials on September 26, according to the Ukrainian ministry of defense.
Moscow lost 1,400 troops, 71 artillery pieces, 159 vehicles and 67 UAVs in just one day, according to the daily post by the ministry on X, which included the Ludwig Van Beethoven quote: “To play without passion is inexcusable!”
Russia’s troop losses were the highest the Kremlin has seen since May, and in one week, they have lost approximately 10,000 servicemen and women, according to Armed Forces of Ukraine figures. Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment via email.
Russia doesn’t publish its military losses, and leaked U.S. documents previously revealed infighting among Russian officials, which led to allegations of the Russian ministry of defense undercounting its losses in the war with Ukraine, according to the BBC. Experts dispute Ukrainian and Russian reports of casualties, as both sides have been accused of inflating death tolls for the enemy and downplaying their own losses.
Russian artillerymen preparing to fire a weapon at the Ukrainian armed forces at an unknown location on February 1, 2023. Russian troops have suffered significant losses in just one day, according to the Ukrainian ministry of defense.
RIA Novosti/Associated Press
From Monday to Thursday, Russia reportedly lost 513 tanks, vehicles and armored fighting vehicles and 5,380 men. Russian losses of troops, artillery systems and prized equipment hit also record highs in July and August, according to Ukrainian figures.
Since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian ministry of defense claims it has eliminated 647,800 Russian military personnel, 15,946 UAVs, 51,526 tanks and nearly 2,000 multiple rocket launch systems.
These losses in weapons and military supplies are significant as they follow the destruction of three Russian ammunition depots earlier this month in Ukrainian drone strikes, which reportedly eliminated North Korean missiles as well as two to three months’ worth of Russian munitions.
Moscow has been fighting to push back the Ukrainian armed forces in Kursk, but pushed forward to invade four towns in the region of Donetsk last week as it made progress on Ukrainian soil.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 25 that the Russian government is considering re-thinking its rules surrounding using nuclear weapons, specifically using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a non-nuclear country, the BBC reported.
This announcement follows Ukraine’s push with Western allies to utilize long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has traveled to the U.S. this week to pitch his “victory plan” to officials including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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