In a war that has been taking place for more than 10 months, both Russia and Ukraine have sustained thousands of casualties. The Ukrainian military said it has killed hundreds of Russian troops, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoing the numerous losses Russia has sustained from Ukraine’s attacks.
The Ukrainian military on Thursday said an estimated 800 Russian troops were killed in the past day, mostly in the eastern Donetsk region, where heavy fighting has been taking place. The military said Russian forces have been more focused on the offensive in the Bakhmut area and that Russian attempts to attack in Avdiivka and Kupiansk were not successful.
The military said that over 800 Russian troops, one aircraft, one helicopter, and three tanks were destroyed in the past day. The military also cited the civilian casualties from the recent Russian air, missile, and rocket attacks in Bakhmut as well as Kostianynivka and Kurakhove in Donetsk.
Zelenskyy said in his evening address that Ukrainian forces outside Bakhmut have been inflicting major losses on adversaries and that Russia was building up its forces in the region. In a post on the Telegram messaging platform, Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Malyar said the significant losses sustained by Russia means Moscow may have to announce another partial mobilization of reserve troops in the first quarter of the year.
Western leaders have also pledged to send more military assistance to Ukraine this week. A French official said Wednesday that French President Emmanuel Macron told Zelenskyy that his country will be sending light AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles during their phone conversation. US President Joe Biden said Washington was also considering sending Bradley armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The Bradley armored fighting vehicles have been used by the US Army since the 1980s to carry troops around battlefields. However, the decision falls short of Ukraine’s request for Abrams tanks. It remains to be determined how many Bradley vehicles the United States is sending to Ukraine, but Washington is preparing another weapons aid package that may be announced in the coming days.
The US has so far provided a total of $21.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, and Zelenskyy said during his address to a joint session of Congress in December that the aid was not charity but an investment in global security.