More than $8 billion worth of Russian artillery has been destroyed in 2024 so far, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In a series of posts on the ministry’s official X (formerly Twitter) page on Wednesday, it reported that 10,373 Russian artillery systems had been destroyed this year, which was “equivalent to the destruction of 144 artillery brigades.”
The cost of russian artillery destroyed this year is at least 8 billion dollars.
We continue our work! Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 16, 2024
“One of the most significant days of losses for Russian forces occurred on September 22, when Ukrainian forces neutralized 81 artillery systems in a single day,” the ministry said.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry and Ukraine’s armed forces for comment via email outside of standard working hours.
Ukrainian authorities routinely publish updates on Russian losses. However, Russia does not publicize its military losses, and analysts are skeptical of reports released by both sides.
Ukrainian servicemen of the 26th artillery brigade fire an AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions near the front line in the Chasiv Yar area in the Donetsk region on September 30, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Kyiv, Russia has lost $8 billion worth of artillery in 2024.
Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported that the Russian military lost 1,450 troops as well as nearly 200 pieces of military equipment in one of the deadliest days for Moscow’s forces since the 2022 invasion began, based on figures from the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Russian losses of artillery systems hit record highs in July and August, according to Ukrainian figures. In July, Russia lost 1,520 artillery systems, followed by 1,517 in August. Last month, 1,219 were reportedly destroyed.
This period also saw some of the highest losses of Russian military personnel so far, with 35,680 in July, 36,810 in August and 38,130 in September.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, drawing on calculations provided by Forbes Ukraine, the total cost of equipment lost by Russia in Ukraine is now more than $73 billion.
Newsweek previously examined Russian troop, tank and artillery losses in 2024, as of September 18.
May was Russia’s worst month for tank losses this year, with 428 destroyed. It was the second deadliest month in the war for Russian tank crews, following October 2023, with 521.
Subsequent months saw 359 losses in June, 300 in July, 193 in August and 291 in September.
Kyiv’s latest updates come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to reveal his much-awaited “victory plan” to Parliament on Wednesday, in which he publicly acknowledged that Ukraine’s Western allies are ramping up pressure to negotiate with Russia.
Zelensky reportedly said his plan could bring peace next year, but also outlines Ukraine’s goal of joining NATO – something many Western leaders are reluctant to consider for fear of escalating the conflict with Moscow.
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