Vladimir Putin’s army has suffered devastating losses within the last 24 hours, according to the latest update from Ukraine’s General Staff.
Russia’s military has intensified its attacks in Ukraine as it seeks to take advantage of its superiority in both manpower and weapons.
Military analysts claim Kyiv’s beleaguered troops are currently outgunned by ten-to-one as well as outmanned by seven-to-one.
The Kremlin’s troops have succeeded in seizing around 278 square kilometres (107 square miles) between 9 and 15 May, their biggest gains since the end of 2022.
The military advances, though, have come at a catastrophic cost to human life and equipment, as Russia’s troops meet fierce resistance from Ukraine’s army.
In its latest frontline update, Ukraine’s General Staff published new casualty figures for the past 24 hour period.
The figures make for grim reading and reveal the appalling conditions faced by Russian soldiers in the so-called “meat grinder”.
Russia’s army lost 1,460 soldiers during the course of Monday, bringing the total number of casualties to 503,800 since the war began in February 2022.
In addition Ukraine destroyed a further 21 tanks and 40 armoured combat vehicles, as well as 48 artillery systems.
Russia has deployed deadly glide bombs to attack Ukrainian defensive positions, as it seeks to make gains along the 621 mile front.
Kyiv’s chronic lack of air defence systems has allowed the Russians to use the 1.5 tonne bomb to lethal effect.
Every week Russia launches hundreds of these bombs on Ukraine, which create 20-metre-wide craters and obliterate military positions and entire settlements.
The glide bombs played a key role in helping Putin’s army capture the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka in February and may yet propel the Kremlin to victory.
The best way for Ukraine to defend itself from the lethal bombs is to shoot down the Russian military jets before they can launch the weapons.
To be able to do that Ukraine would require a supply of long-range air defences such as as Patriot and SAMP-T, according to military experts.
F-16 fighter jets would also allow Ukraine to keep Russian planes armed with the bombs at bay.
