Vladimir Putin’s forces have been obliterated in Ukraine, seemingly losing a staggering two-thirds of their pre-war troop numbers.
And the slaughter continues unabated, with the latest data showing another day of heavy casualties for Putin’s army.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces claimed Russia lost 1,120 soldiers during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of killed and injured to 600,470.
Prior to Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces had a total of around 900,000 troops.
It is believed that some 150,000 to 190,000 were involved in the initial invasion in February 2022.
Since the war, Putin has added more troops to his army, signing a decree in August 2022 to enlist 137,000 more soldiers, and a further 170,000 in December 2023.
The Russian government does not disclose the number of its war losses.
This comes as Ukraine continues to consolidate its position in the Kursk region of Russia.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the military incursion was carried out to create a permanent buffer zone and would prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.
In a TV address to the nation on Monday, he also claimed Ukraine controlled more than 1250 square kilometres of Russian territory and had captured 92 settlements.
He went on to call the operation “the largest investment in the process of liberating Ukrainians and Ukrainian women from Russian captivity.”
The Kursk attack was also launched with the hope of diverting Russian troops away from the frontlines in Donetsk, where Putin’s army continues to make substantial gains.
Russian troops are edging closer to the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, as they seek to make a breakthrough.
Kyiv’s troops have been subjected to relentless aerial bombardments and round-the-clock infantry assaults, as they desperately try to hold their positions.
Serhii Dobryak, Pokrovsk’s military administrator, said fighting was likely to engulf the city in less than two weeks. He urged residents to pack up and leave.
About 60 percent had already gone, he said, adding that families with children would soon be forced to evacuate under emergency rules.
Moscow has relocated units from other areas of the frontline to help repel the attack in Kursk, but has largely left its forces untouched on the Pokrovsk front.
