Ukraine has lost 640 soldiers, two tanks and a Bradley infantry fighter vehicle (IFV) in a single day, the Kremlin has said.
The figures were released by Russia's Ministry of Defense, which said that in the last 24 hours Ukraine had lost more than 60 troops near the city of Kupyansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region; up to 220 soldiers near Krasny Liman in the Donetsk region; a further 280 troops in the Donetsk direction; up to 30 personnel in occupied Zaporizhzhia; and as many as 50 servicemen in the Kherson direction.
Newsweek could not independently verify the figures. Estimates of casualty figures vary. Newsweek has contacted Ukrainian and Russian authorities for comment via email.
Kyiv does not release updated death tolls. In April, a leaked U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment estimated that Kyiv had suffered 124,500 to 131,000 casualties, including 15,500 to 17,500 dead.
Russia similarly rarely releases figures on troop losses. In September 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 5,937 of Moscow's troops had been killed in the war.
Moscow's forces have lost a total of 347,160 fighters since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and 1,090 military personnel in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Monday.
A joint investigation by the BBC's Russian Service and independent Russian news outlet Mediazona on November 17 identified the names of 37,052 Russian military personnel who have died in the war in Ukraine. It said that the actual number of losses was higher than the figures stated in the investigation.
Both sides have lost a large number of troops and equipment amid an ongoing battle for Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, which has been described as the gateway to the city of Donetsk.
In October, Russia mounted its biggest offensive in months in an attempt to capture Avdiivka, pouring in thousands of troops, tanks and armored vehicles
On Sunday, the Associated Press said it obtained aerial footage from a Ukrainian military drone that filmed the scenes of devastation around Avdiivka on December 6. Two separate clips showed the bodies of about 150 soldiers—most wearing Russian uniforms—lying on the ground.
The footage was provided to the news agency by Ukraine's BUAR unit of the 110th Mechanized Brigade, which is involved in the fighting in the area.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
