Russia lost over 4,500 troops and 42 tanks in less than a week: Kyiv

Russian forces in Ukraine have lost more than 4,500 soldiers since February 3, according to data released Friday by Kyiv’s military.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in addition to 4,540 human casualties, Russia also lost 42 tanks, 103 armored fighting vehicles, 104 artillery systems and 36 drones during the same time period.

Going by Ukraine’s tally, Russia has lost a total of 393,290 troops since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24, 2022. Putin’s military has also lost 6,385 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.

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 of heavy fighting on the front lines over the past day. A message posted on Facebook by the General Staff said its forces had been involved in 91 combat clashes since Thursday, which reportedly saw Russia launch 49 airstrikes and conduct 52 attacks using multiple-launch rocket systems.

“During the day, the Air Force of Ukraine’s Armed Forces targeted five clusters of enemy personnel, weapons and military equipment,” the General Staff message read. “Units of Rocket Forces hit two clusters of personnel, weapons and military equipment, as well as two command points and two enemy ammunition storage points.”

Kyiv’s forces successfully repelled Russian attacks near Zolota Nyva in the southeast, Ukraine’s General Staff added in its report. Russian advances were also halted in the east near the Lyman front, as well as several attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian officials said.

According to geolocated footage observed by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces made marginal gains west of Bakhmut on Friday, while Ukraine’s troops advanced southwest of Donetsk city. Fighting continued around the city near the villages of Bohdanivka, Ivanivske and Klishchiivka, the think tank added in its Friday assessment on the war.

Heavy fighting was also reported around Avdiivka, an eastern industrial village that has been a focal point of the war for months. The ISW reported Russian advances in the northern parts of Avdiivka based on geolocated footage, and Russian military bloggers claimed that Moscow was continuing to advance into residential areas around the now mostly abandoned town.